A suspected underground bomb-making factory has been unearthed outside Dublin, after the owner of a storage facility found two men mixing chemicals on his property.

The storage bunker's owner arrived at the site at the Blessington Road in Tallaght, on Monday at about 9pm to discover the lock on the unit had been broken.

He found two men - believed to be foreign nationals - inside mixing chemicals.

They fled the scene and the lock-up's owner immediately alerted the gardai.

Initial investigations led officers to believe that the criminals had been using the lock-up as a crystal meth lab or as a crude facility for mixing other drugs unknown to its owner.

However, after a detailed examination by the garda technical bureau yesterday, it was determined that the lock-up was not being used for drug making or mixing.

Army experts were called in last night and it is understood that they have determined that the chemicals could be used in a mix to make bombs.

"This is a highly unusual discovery," a senior source told the Herald last.

The scene of the disturbing discovery remained sealed off last night.

Armed members of the Special Detective Unit guarded the site as the army personnel continued their examination of the area in Tallaght, which is located close to a pub.

Up to a dozen bottles of chemicals were found in the lock-up including hydrochloric acid and a sulphite material, as well as filters.

There have been no arrests so far and investigations are ongoing.

Belfast Telegraph