Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly has criticised those suspected of orchestrating an intercepted car bomb close to the Irish border, declaring they are "devoid of support" and "have no strategy to what they're doing".
Kelly praises Garda interception
Addressing journalists in west Belfast, Mr Kelly praised the work of An Garda Síochána following their interception of what has been characterised as an "extremely significant" explosive device before it could arrive at its target location.
He stated: "The Gardaí were able to stop a very dangerous device before it got to where it was going. It could have caused all sorts of destruction, possible injuries, and also possible death, that's what we're dealing with here."
Perpetrators 'devoid of support'
The prominent Sinn Féin figure emphasised that the perpetrators lacked any public support and would only inflict hardship upon local communities.
"Those involved in it are devoid of support, they have no support, whatever they're telling themselves, and all that they're interested in, all that they're going to bring, is suffering and misery to people," he said.
"They have no positive way forward, they have no strategy to what they're doing, and what they should do is leave the communities who are living in peace together and are moving on with politics and getting on with their lives and just leave the stage, just go away."
Warning of catastrophic outcomes
Mr Kelly cautioned that even one person could trigger catastrophic outcomes but maintained that those responsible would ultimately accomplish nothing.
"One person with a gun or one person with a bomb can do terrible damage and what I can say is that they are devoid of any support, and that they're not going anywhere except causing damage to them, and the only place that they're going to head is to jail," he said.
"They're not achieving anything in this except negative stuff, there's no positiveness in this whatsoever, and I condemn what they did and what they were intending to do, and they need to hear that loud and clear. I'm saying this as a political representative, we're the ones who represent people here, not them."
Garda operation in Co Monaghan
His remarks follow the Gardaí's disclosure that they had foiled what they characterised as an "extremely significant" car bomb during an intelligence-driven operation in Co Monaghan.
Officers from the Garda Special Detective Unit halted a vehicle travelling along the N2 south of Carrickmacross on Wednesday afternoon, subsequently summoning the Irish Defence Forces Explosive Ordnance Disposal team to inspect the vehicle.
The device is believed to have contained suspected military-grade explosives. Garda sources have labelled it as "highly sophisticated" and "advanced", with indications suggesting it was being moved across the border for a planned assault in Northern Ireland.
Arrests and reactions
A woman in her 20s, who was behind the wheel, was detained at the scene and continues to be held in Garda custody. A man in his 40s has also been apprehended and is currently being interviewed at a Garda station in the Dublin region.
Speaking on Friday, Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly stated that the operation had thwarted what could have been a catastrophic attack.
"To be clear, what we found was an extremely significant seizure," he said. "This was an explosive device."
He further revealed that, while unable to disclose operational details, the bomb had already been fully assembled at the time of its seizure. "It would have or could have potentially caused significant damage," the commissioner said.
Political condemnation
Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan described the find as "very worrying", noting it underlined the ongoing threat posed by dissident republican activity, while commending the close working relationship between An Garda Síochána and the PSNI.
Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant also praised the Gardaí, stating that the interception had "undoubtedly saved lives", while PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck said the operation highlighted the robust cross-border dedication to combating the dissident republican threat.
