Gardaí investigating the activities of the Kinahan crime gang believe they have prevented another killing in Dublin today.

Gardaí had been watching two men known to them as members of the Kinahan crime gang and who were previously involved in an attempted assassination.

At around 4.30pm both men were arrested by armed gardaí in East Wall in Dublin.

The first, a 30-year-old man, was on a bicycle on East Wall Road, the second man, who is 27 years old, was in a car on nearby Clonmore Road.

A loaded revolver was recovered where the cyclist was arrested.

Both men were caught in similar circumstances a number of years ago in a stolen car with a loaded weapon and served time in prison for that attempt.

Gardaí believe the men were on their way to kill an associate of the Hutch criminal gang and although the men were under surveillance, officers felt they had to intervene to prevent any loss of life.

Gardaí said this was an intelligence-led operation by the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau supported by other armed garda units, Crime and Security and the Special Crime Task Force.

The men can be questioned for up to three days.