Two men have been arrested following the recovery of a firearm and ammunition which gardaí believe would have been used to carry out a murder.
Following an operation in West Dublin on Tuesday, gardaí said the force is "satisfied that an imminent threat to life attack was prevented".
Shortly after 8:00pm, a vehicle was intercepted by a tactical team from the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) on Rowlagh Avenue in Clondalkin, Dublin 22.
A subsequent search of the vehicle resulted in the recovery of a semi-automatic Glock pistol along with a number of rounds of 9mm ammunition.
Two males, aged in their 30s and 40s, were arrested at the scene and are currently detained at a garda station in the Dublin metropolitan region.
Follow-up searches were conducted at 18 locations in the Dublin area and two cells at Portlaoise Prison, with the assistance of the Irish Prison Service and Operational Support Units of An Garda Síochána.
In excess of 300 members of An Garda Síochána were deployed in the course of the operation.
Speaking following the operation, assistant commissioner Angela Willis, head of organised and erious crime said: "The intervention by members of An Garda Síochána in West Dublin on the evening of December 17th, 2024, has again resulted in the removal of a lethal firearm and ammunition from circulation.
"An Garda Síochána believes the firearm was intended for use in the commission of murder(s).
"I wish to acknowledge the members of An Garda Síochána involved in the operation for their professionalism in bringing this operation to a successful conclusion. An Garda Síochána will continue to prioritise targeting those that are the most violent and cause the most harm in communities”
The firearm and ammunition seized will be forwarded to the Ballistics section of the Garda Technical Bureau to undergo analysis.
Investigations are ongoing, gardaí said.
