Gardaí have foiled what appears to have been an attempted gangland hit in Dublin.
A number of arrests have been made and a gun has been seized.
Three men aged in their 20s, 40s and 50s were arrested after gardaí stopped two cars in the Artane area and seized a gun.
The three men now being held at garda stations across Dublin under section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act.
Assistant Garda Commissioner John O'Driscoll says he has "no doubt that the intelligence-led operation had prevented a firearm being used to take a life'.
Detective Chief Superintendent Angela Willis - the head of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau which was involved in the operation - said the seizure of firearms and the arrest of those who are prepared to use them to take life, is a priority for the force.
