Woman arrested after claiming to have bomb at Navan Confirmation ceremony

A Confirmation ceremony for hundreds of children in St Mary's Church in Navan on Saturday was interrupted by a woman who walked on to the altar and claimed to have a bomb strapped to her.

The drama unfolded shortly before 1pm while Bishop of Meath Dr Tom Deenihan was confirming children from four local national schools but was swiftly dealt with and the ceremony proceeded unhindered.

Several witnesses reported that a woman made her way up to the microphone on the altar and asked to speak before proceeding to claim that she had a bomb strapped to her. A priest and a number of other people, believed to be teachers, quickly approached the woman to intervene and escorted her from the altar.

Gardai were notified and the woman was arrested. Gardai have confirmed that they attended an incident in St Mary's Church and that a woman was charged with a public order incident. She is due to appear at court at a later date.