Gardaí are monitoring possible al-Qaeda sympathisers in Ireland as part of a massive international security operation, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern revealed today.
In the wake of the London bombings, Mr Ahern said he did not believe Ireland was under serious threat of attack.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern
However, he admitted security services were closely monitoring certain people in the Republic.
"We take that very seriously, the gardaí work very very closely with international security and we do watch certain individuals very very closely," he said at a function in Dublin City University.
"There are people living in the Republic of Ireland that we have to attach huge importance to and we do. This week underlines that and we do that as part of international co-operation."
The Taoiseach also said he did not believe allowing US troops to use Shannon International Airport had left the country exposed to a greater risk of terrorist attack.
Mr Ahern yesterday called the attacks "an appalling outrage which I condemn in the strongest possible terms"
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of London and all those affected by these terrible deeds," he said. "I have sent a message of sympathy and support to Prime Minister Blair.
"Whoever is responsible for these attacks stands condemned in the eyes of the international community," the Taoiseach said.
Fine Gael’s defence spokesman, Billy Timmins, called for new legislation to strengthen Ireland’s capacity to deal with a terrorist threat.
Mr Timmins, a former army officer with the UN
peacekeeping forces in Lebanon and Cyprus, said there were also "serious anomalies" in the role of Minister for Defence Willie O’Dea as chairman of the Task Force on Emergency Planning.
"It is still unclear what authority Minister O’Dea has in his role as chair of the Task Force on Emergency Planning. It seems the Minister does not have the power to direct many of the components of this group, and that the State’s emergency response is split between a large number of disparate Government departments, state agencies and sub-groups," Mr Timmins said.
"Consideration must now be given to underpinning the role of the task force through legislation, and creating a single emergency planning body which would report at the highest level, namely the Department of the Taoiseach," he said.