Irish Police Seize Firearms and Explosives Near Northern Ireland Border

DUBLIN (Reuters) – Irish authorities seized a significant amount of firearms and a suspected explosive device near the border with Northern Ireland on Friday as part of an investigation into the activities of militant Irish nationalist groups.

The searches were conducted close to the village of Omeath in County Louth, located on a small peninsula at the boundary between the European Union-member Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland.

As the UK is set to leave the EU by the end of March, the current seamless border will become the only land frontier the UK shares with the EU.

Authorities on both sides of the border have cautioned that any reinforcement of the border due to Brexit, such as the re-establishment of customs posts, could become a target for the few militant factions still operating in Northern Ireland after a 1998 peace agreement ended decades of conflict in the region.

"During the searches to date, Gardaí (Irish police) have recovered a considerable amount of ammunition of various calibers along with a mortar tube, pending examination by Garda ballistics experts," the police stated.

The recovery of the ammunition is part of ongoing investigations focusing on militant organizations based in the area, with the army’s bomb disposal unit assisting at the scene.

A militant group identifying itself as the "IRA" claimed responsibility this week for a car bomb that exploded outside a courthouse in Londonderry in January, underscoring the ongoing threat posed by groups opposed to the peace agreement. Fortunately, no one was injured in the blast, which the group asserted was unrelated to Brexit.