A vehicle found abandoned and made safe in Northern Ireland was carrying a viable bomb, security sources said.
The device was found in a rural part of Co Fermanagh in the west of the region.
Dissident republicans have launched a series of bomb attacks against members of the security forces in recent months.
The alert at Derrylin Road – the main arterial route between Enniskillen and Dublin – was raised early yesterday morning and caused local homes to be evacuated.
The finger of blame will be pointed at dissident republicans, who have murderedtwo soldiers, two policemen and a prison guard in their campaign of violence.
A week ago the Police Service of Northern Ireland discovered a mortar-type device aimed towards New Barnsley police station in north Belfast. Also last week three officers escaped injury when an explosive device detonated within metres of them as they patrolled a coastal path on the outskirts of Belfast.
Earlier this month two men were arrested after police intercepted a van carrying four mortar bombs which were primed and ready to fire at a station in Londonderry.
The bomb was found 16 miles from the site of this June’s G8 gathering of worldleaders at the Lough Erne resort near Enniskillen.
US president Barack Obama, German chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian premier Vladimir Putin are expected to attend the huge event.
A massive security operation will be mounted and thousands of police officers from UK forces will be drafted in to help bolster PSNI numbers. They will help provide security and safety at a range of key venues and will be able to exercise the same powers of arrest, stop and search.