Irish Army defuses bomb just before the visit of Queen Elizabeth 2nd

Irish Army defuses bomb just before the visit of Queen Elizabeth 2nd


Queen's visit will be conciliatory

Authorities of the Republic of Ireland disarmed a bomb hours before the historic visit of Queen Elizabeth the 2nd to the country.

According to information from the Irish Army, an improvised explosive device, but viable, was found late on Monday in a bus outside the Glen Royal Hotel, Maynooth, County Kildare, a region in which the British monarch would during the four-day visit.

All the 30 passengers of private buses were taken to Dublin on another vehicle.

On Tuesday, in a separate incident, there was a security alert in Dublin. A suspicious package found near a railway line is being examined.

Security

The Irish authorities have mounted the biggest security operation the country's history to receive the Queen, on Tuesday, the first visit by a British head of state since the country gained independence from Britain 90 years ago.

BBC correspondents in Dublin report that the trip will shed light on the shared history - which includes independence wars and political disputes - the two countries.

But the trip will be mainly a reconciliatory tone. At the moment most symbolic of the visit, the queen should honor those who died fighting the English crown for the Irish independence.

The Irish government welcomed the visit and also highlighted its symbolic value.

Before Elizabeth 2nd, the last trip by a British monarch to Ireland was made a century ago, George 5, before the partition of the island and the independence of the south, where today is the Irish republic. Northern Ireland remains part of Britain.

The queen's trip comes at a time of new threats from Irish republicans who oppose the peace agreement in Northern Ireland. On Monday, London was the target of a bomb threat.