Gardaí in Cork were last night questioning a suspected leading member of the Continuity IRA following his arrest in the city late on Thursday.
The 30-year-old native of Limerick city was carrying a loaded pistol when arrested by armed detectives as he was walking along Barrack Street at around 10pm.
The man was arrested under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act and brought to the Bridewell Garda station for questioning about dissident republican activity. He can be held for up to 48 hours without being charged.
A senior Garda source yesterday described the arrest of the man - who has been living in Cork city for a number of months - as a highly significant development in an ongoing Garda investigation into dissident republicans in Munster.
According to Garda sources, the Real IRA have carried out a number of successful extortion operations in Cork in the past four years where they've extracted money from drug dealers in the city.
However, gardaí are satisfied that the arrest of the suspected Continuity IRA man was not linked to the holding of a family against their will in Rochestown, Cork, earlier this week, nor a Provisional IRA money-laundering racket uncovered in Cork earlier this year.
The Real IRA have been more active in recent years in Cork than the Continuity IRA, who have been stronger in Limerick. But recently, the Continuity IRA have tried to recruit in Cork city and east Cork.