GARDAÍ were questioning a man in his 40s in connection with the discovery of viable bombs in Limerick and the north of Ireland last Friday.
Reliable sources said the man was being questioned as part of an ongoing cross-border investigation between Gardaí and the PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland).
One of the bombs was discovered close to the large alumina refinery Aughinish Alumina, located between Foynes and Askeaton, County Limerick.
It’s understood that up to 100 of the 450 staff employed at the Rusal-owned Aughinish refinery were unable to leave the plant for several hours as a 350-metre security cordon was put in place for Gardaí and members of the Defence Forces responding at the scene between Friday night and Saturday morning.
The Rusal alumina giant, which owns the plant, had not responded to media queries sent following the incident.
Gardaí were at one point investigating the possibility that the bomb could have been a reaction to Russia’s largest ever aerial bombardment on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv last Thursday night, but it is understood that this is no longer the case.
A spokesman for the Irish Defence Forces confirmed the bomb was “viable”, meaning it was capable of detonating and causing injuries or death.
A statement from the Defence Forces said that “on Friday evening, bomb experts from the Defence Forces Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team responded to a request for assistance from An Garda Síochána (AGS) in relation to a suspect device in the area of Askeaton, County Limerick”.
“Following an assessment, the EOD team confirmed the device was viable, and it was rendered safe. The EOD team then handed the scene over to AGS.”
The army EOD unit were on scene for a total of six hours, from arrival on scene around 7pm on Friday to 1am on Saturday morning.
The bomb was discovered attached to a fuel tank that services the Aughinish Alumina refinery sports and social club building, located close to the Shannon estuary towns of Foynes and Askeaton.
The bomb is believed to have included a battery-timed mechanism so that it could be detonated long after the perpetrators had left the area.
Gardaí said they were alerted to the bomb after its discovery at approximately 3.30pm last Friday “and a cordon was established” until the scene was declared safe.
The area where the bomb was found is located close to a publicly accessible nature walking trail.
In February 2022, Gardai launched an investigation into criminal damage at the entrance to Aughinish Alumina, which was daubed with slogans in red paint, similar in nature to paint attacks at Russian embassies around the world in protest at Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Other bombs were found elsewhere in the north west of Ireland.
A Garda statement released to the media on Tuesday revealed that “as part of the investigation into the discovery of a number of attempted improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the Northeast and Southwest of the country, a male (40s) was arrested on Sunday, 6th July 2025”.
“The male was arrested during an operation on Sunday evening involving national, regional, and local Garda units in County Monaghan.”
Gardaí said the suspect was detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act, 1939, at a Garda Station in the North Western region.
“An Garda Síochána continues to liaise with our colleagues in the PSNI in relation to this investigation,” they confirmed.
