Security alert as Soviet mortar launcher discovered at Dublin Port

The Army's Bomb Squad and anti-terror gardaí were called to the scene at around 1am after an Eastern European registered van was stopped by officials.

The vehicle was the subject of routine profiling by Revenue and Customs officers, who x-rayed the van and found it was being used to transport a mortar launcher.

The female driver of the vehicle, a Polish woman aged in her 20s, was arrested under firearms offences and brought to Store Street garda station.

She was later released from garda custody. Enquiries remain ongoing.

Gardaí were alerted with local officers as well as members of the Special Detective Unit (SDU), who deal with paramilitary and other terror related threats, responding to the scene.

The Army's Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) were also deployed to Dublin Port and declared the device safe with no munitions found. The weapon, a decommissioned Russian manufactured 82mm KRH 36Y mortar launcher, was removed from the scene at around 6am sent to the Ballistics Section in Garda Headquarters for further analysis.

At this stage gardaí do not believe that there was any criminal intent involved in the importation of the weapon and instead believe it was being transported to a collector in Northern Ireland.

It’s understood the weapon was stored in a wooden box for the purposes of being preserved and put on display.

Gardaí are currently liaising with the PSNI as part of the investigation, and inquiries are also being carried out with officials in Wales as the vehicle arrived from Holyhead.

A Garda spokesman said: "An Garda Síochána has carried out enquiries with the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

"An Garda Síochána continues to investigate the importation of this firearm into this jurisdiction."