Gardai believe they prevented a serious crime from taking place when they raided a house in Dundalk and arrested seven men on Saturday night.
At least two of those arrested were described as "significant players" in the "Real IRA".
A number of guns and other weapons were recovered in the house, and detectives are satisfied the men were preparing to carry out what they described as "serious crime". The operation was headed by Dundalk-based gardaí who had armed support from the Emergency Response Unit when they raided the house just after 9 p.m.
The seven men appeared to be preparing to carry out a crime, possibly against a person. A search of the house quickly revealed the men were armed. A sawn-off shotgun and handgun, as well as ammunition for both, were recovered, along with a hammer and iron bars.
The seven are from the Dundalk area and are believed to be dissident republicans. "Two of the men arrested at the house are, we believe, very senior players in the 'Real IRA'," said one source.
One of the men has allegedly been involved in organising the day-to-day activities of the organisation and is close to its leadership. The round-up of such senior figures will undoubtedly lead to an internal inquiry by the group into how gardaí were aware of their movements and activities.
In recent times the "Real IRA" and dissident republican supporters have become more and more involved in crime as well as terrorism. They are believed to have played a major role in the armed hold-up of a cash-and-carry in Dundalk in December, in which a gang of 11 men and one woman got away with a significant quantity of cigarettes and cash. During the crime, staff at the Value Centre premises were assaulted and intimidated and put in fear of their lives.
Their ordeal began when two of the men and the woman arrived at the premises dressed in Garda uniforms. The staff were quickly gathered and held hostage while the cigarettes and money were taken.
The arrests on Saturday and the presence in the house of senior dissidents and suspected criminals have satisfied local detectives that the men were planning a serious crime. They would not elaborate on the nature of the crime but one commented it might have been more serious than a hold-up.
The DPP will decide later today whether to charge the men.