ARMAGH, Northern Ireland, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Tests were being conducted on bomb parts discovered inside a van parked under a bridge near Northern Ireland's border with Ireland, police said Thursday.
The Belfast Telegraph reported it was suspected the materials potentially could have been used in the construction of a 1,000-pound bomb, but a number of other necessary components were not in the vehicle.
An as-of-yet undetermined substance was found inside barrels and drums stored inside the van parked underneath a flyover bridge on A1 Newry Road in Armagh, Northern Ireland.
The discovery prompted a major security alert that disrupted travel across the Northern Ireland-Ireland border Wednesday, the Telegraph said.
Social Democratic and Labor Party member John McArdle said businesses in the surrounding area also suffered.
"The business that has been given to Newry and surrounding towns from the Republic has been a godsend. People are sick of this and want to move on. There isn't any support for this type of thing," said McArdle, the SDLP councilor for the area.
The Telegraph said police also were investigating who fired on a police station in Armagh Wednesday night. No injuries were reported.
