Two men have been arrested and a firearm recovered after a car was stopped and searched in Co Laois.
A firearm and a number of suspicious devices were recovered during the operation on the M7 near Mountrath at around 6pm.
The Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal team was also called to the scene.
A man in his 40s and a second in his late teens were arrested at the scene.
They are being held at Portlaoise Garda Station.