Gardai arrest men on suspicion of IRA membership

Two men have been arrested in Limerick on suspicion of IRA membership.

The pair, one in his fifties and the other in his twenties, were arrested on the southside of the city.

This morning's planned special branch swoop was the second of its kind in two weeks.

Five men were arrested last Wednesday in a Limerick city pub on suspicion of membership of the continuity IRA.

They were all released without charge 72 hours later. However, this morning gardai raided two houses and arrested two men, both from Limerick, on suspected membership of what gardai say is the IRA.

Both men are being held at Henry St Garda station under Section 30 of the Offences against the State Act.

They can be held for a maximum of 48 hours before an application can be made to extend the men's detention period for a further 24 hours.

Gardai say this morning's arrests are part of a follow up operation to last week's probe into IRA activity.

They say more arrests could follow.