REACTION:ALTHOUGH DISSIDENT republican groups are small in numbers the threat they pose is "severe", Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern has said.
Fine Gael justice spokesman Charlie Flanagan has called for “increased Border security and intelligence resources” to counteract the threat.
The suspected explosive devices found at the weekend indicated there was "a fairly major engineering operation in progress", the Minister told RTÉ Radio's This Weekprogramme yesterday.
The suspect materials were discovered close to Mr Ahern’s home town of Dundalk, Co Louth.
“It was an operation designed to let off a bomb somewhere, and obviously it would be anticipated that the bomb would have been transported across the Border.
“So I think it just again exemplifies the fact that this threat is severe.”
The Minister told interviewer Richard Crowley: “It was part of an ongoing and intensive operation against the dissidents that has been taking place for some time.”
The Garda Síochána had been “working hand-in-glove” with the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
Asked about the imminence of an attack, he said: “There was a fairly major engineering operation in progress, and I think the details of that will come out later on, possibly this week, or when people are charged.”
Asked if the dissident threat was growing in terms of numbers or capability, he said: “I think in capability perhaps, not in numbers. The numbers are relatively small but, as used to be said by the Provisional IRA, it only takes a few to do these awful deeds.
“They don’t speak for anyone apart from themselves: they completely go against the wish of the Irish people as expressed in the Good Friday agreement and, indeed, subsequently given the fact that we now have political institutions in the North up and running and great co-operation between the Executive and the Irish Government and obviously with our neighbours in the neighbouring island.”
Mr Flanagan said the threat from dissident republicans had now reached “very dangerous” levels.
“Confronting the dissident threat must be a priority for Government. Security experts have been warning in recent times of a realignment of dissident republicans. Dissident restructuring and recruitment pose a serious menace. There is a clear need for increased Border security and intelligence resources to counteract this threat.
“The intelligence-gathering process must be prioritised; a deficit in this area may naturally have developed over the last 10 years. Both a political response and a security response are required.”