Drew Harris ‘somewhat shocked’ by Monaghan car bomb discovery
Former Garda commissioner Drew Harris expressed shock following the discovery of a Semtex car bomb in County Monaghan. The incident, which led to the arrest of a 25-year-old law student, highlights ongoing security cooperation between Irish and Northern Irish police forces.
Why it matters
The discovery of explosive materials suggests a persistent threat from dissident republican groups, impacting regional security in Ireland.
The discovery of a Semtex car bomb in Co Monaghan shows An Garda Síochána and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) were not “complacent” in the face of the threat posed by dissident republicans, former Garda commissioner Drew Harris has said.
Speaking at the Patrick MacGill Summer School in Donegal on Saturday, Harris, who retired last September, said the news of the Carrickmacross seizure had left him “somewhat shocked”.
“News like this is always shocking. Thirty years ago, it might have made the inner pages. But now it’s so unusual that genuinely people were very surprised and shocked, taken aback,” he said.
However, the intelligence-led operation by the Garda Special Detective Unit that led to the seizure of the car bomb that was being taken to Derry showed the level of co-operation existing between the Garda and the PSNI.
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