A massive 500 pound bomb has been discovered near the border under a van stolen from the Republic – and fitted with a fake Donegal registration plate.
The device – the same size of as the 1998 Omagh bomb which left 29 people including women and children dead – was placed inside the vehicle which was taken from Maynooth in Co Kildare in January of this year and had Donegal licence plates attached.
It was found on the main Dublin to Belfast Road near Newry on Thursday and was made safe last night.
Police believe the van may have been abandoned because of an unrelated security alert and that a main town centre in the North was the target.
Gardaí and the PSNI are working together to try and track the vehicle’s movements in the run up to the discovery.
Motorists drove past the device on the route after police warning cones were removed.
