Everything we know as woman driving a bomb towards Northern Ireland is charged

Police in Ireland have seized a “very significant” bomb that was being driven towards the border with Northern Ireland for a suspected attack. Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said the explosive device could have caused “significant damage” if it had not been intercepted before reaching its target. The bomb was seized in an operation carried out on Wednesday and has been linked to dissident republicans, Commissioner Kelly said. The vehicle’s driver, law student Isobella Perrie Sullivan, 25, has been charged with possession of explosives. The bomb was seized in an operation carried out on Wednesday and has been linked to dissident republicans, Commissioner Kelly said. The vehicle’s driver, a woman in her 20s, has been charged in relation to the case. Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant commended the police and said: “Intercepting a dangerous device like this undoubtedly saved lives and kept communities safe on both sides of the border.” Where was the bomb found? Members of the Garda’s Special Detective Unit, which deals with counter-terrorism, stopped a car on the N2 road at around 3pm on Wednesday. The vehicle was travelling northbound on the route, which crosses the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, near Carrickmacross in County Monaghan. After discovering that it was transporting a likely explosive device, they requested the assistance of the Irish Defence Forces’ bomb disposal squad. Speaking on Friday, Commissioner Kelly said he could not give exact details of the device for operational reasons, and that it was undergoing technical examination. “It was a significant explosive device, so certainly not just the seizure of components or pieces,” he added. “This was an explosive device and it would have or could have potentially caused significant damage.” Who is responsible? Sullivan, of Clane, Co Kildare, was arrested at the scene before being charged. She appeared before a special sitting of Trim District Court in Co Meath, in the Republic of Ireland, this evening, where shewas granted bail. Another suspect, a man in his 40s, remained in custody at a Garda station in the Dublin area on Friday night. At court a Garda officer explained Sullivan had been stopped by Gardaí on the N2 at Aclint, Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan, as she was suspected to be involved “in IRA operational activity”. During a search of her vehicle, a bag was discovered in the rear seat that contained Semtex and a detonator, the court heard. This prompted the area to be evacuated and Sullivan to be arrested. The court heard that Sullivan was studying for a law degree and wanted to become a barrister. The Garda objected to bail due to the seriousness of the offence. Defence solicitor Gavin Booth, of Phoenix Law, said his client had been asked to take a bag to the north, and had not been aware what was in it, adding she had been “manipulated”. He said she lived with her father in Kildare and wanted to become a barrister. He said both her parents are devastated and can’t believe what has happened, adding that if granted bail they would intend to keep her on a “tight rein and ensure she abides by all conditions”. Judge Raymond Finnegan agreed to allow bail. It came with a number of conditions, which included an independent 15,000-euro surety, that she surrenders her passport, stays at an address approved by Gardaí, has a mobile phone number on which to be available 24/7, to sign in every day at Naas Garda Station and a curfew of 9pm to 7am. Gardaí also requested another condition, that she not have any contact with anyone in the Saoradh political party or the New IRA. Another suspect, a man aged in his 40s, has since been arrested and was being held at a Garda station in the Dublin area. Commissioner Kelly said investigators were satisfied that the bomb was a product of “dissident republican activity” and that the interception was “not a random stop”. “This is an intelligence-led operation, so we certainly do have information in relation to the individuals involved,” he added. “But naturally, I can’t go into a lot of that in public.” What was the target? Commissioner Kelly said the investigation was continuing into the device’s intended use, but that it came against a decades-long background of bombings by the IRA and its affiliated groups. “There are a small minority of dissident republicans who did not agree with the Good Friday Agreement; they did not put weapons and explosives [out of use], they didn’t go through with the proper process in relation to decommissioning,” he added. “That is something that we continue to deal with.” The scene in Dunmurry in Northern Ireland after the explosion outside a police station in April (Photo: Niall Carson/PA) The operation follows a car bombing linked on 25 April, when a hijacked delivery vehicle exploded outside Dunmurry police station, on the outskirts of Belfast. No one was injured in the explosion. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said a delivery driver was threatened by a masked gunman and ordered him to drive a gas cylinder device to the police station, where it detonated. Weeks earlier, on 30 March, a food delivery driver had his car hijacked by two masked men, one of whom was armed with a gun, and ordered him to drive to a police station in the Northern Irish town of Lurgan with a bomb in the boot or he’d be killed. On arrival, the driver escaped and alerted police staff. A controlled explosion was carried out before the device could be detonated. The New IRA later claimed responsibility. What threat do dissident republicans pose? British and Irish security services say the threat from Northern Ireland-related terrorism has reduced significantly since the Good Friday Agreement formally ended the sectarian conflict known as the Troubles in 1998, but that a remaining core of dissident republicans have continued efforts to attack the PSNI and political and security targets. Although the Provisional IRA, which was the dominant republican paramilitary group from the 1970s onwards, formally ended its violent campaign in 2005, smaller breakaway groups have continued to emerge. The most active faction is currently the New IRA, which has been responsible for numerous high-profile murders, bombings and attacks since its formation in 2012. The New IRA has been responsible for several killings, including the fatal shooting of journalist Lyra McKee as she reported on riots in April 2019 (Photo: Charles McQuillan/Getty) “There’s a small minority of these individuals; I would describe them as radicalised republicans and this is a threat that we’re going to continue to face for some time,” Commissioner Kelly said. “We work very closely with our colleagues in PSNI and the intelligence services in the UK to deal with this threat.” The police chief said that although only a “small amount of people” were involved in the movement, they were “very motivated” and retain bomb-making materials and capabilities. The MI5-led Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre has graded the risk of Northern Ireland-related terrorism, inside Northern Ireland, as “substantial”, meaning attacks are likely. The classification is one level lower than the “severe” threat to the UK as a whole from all forms of terrorism, following an increase in April that was driven by the extreme right-wing.