File photograph: Bryan O’Brien/The Irish TimesTwo men arrested by gardaí as part of a cross-Border antiterrorism operation are suspected of being members of a violent fringe far-right organisation intent on attacking people from a minority group, gardaí believe. A vehicle in which the men were travelling was stopped and searched by gardaí in Abbeyleix, Co Laois, on Wednesday. The Garda operation was carried out by the Special Detective Unit (SDU), which investigates terrorism and other threats to the State. Assistant Commissioner Michael McElgunn, head of the Garda’s National Crime and Security Intelligence Service, said the search and arrests demonstrated the force’s commitment “to identifying, assessing and countering security threats” to communities. The operation was ongoing last night as a car seized by gardaí in Drogheda was found to contain suspicious items.
