Gardaí are investigating two armed robberies this afternoon, one at a business premises in Dublin and one on a bank in Longford.
Gardaí in Dublin arrested two men after an armed robbery shortly after 2pm at Woodford Industrial Estate, Santry, a Garda statement said.
"The two raiders escaped in a car. Following circulation of the raiders' description, arrests were made on the Strand Road, Dublin 1," the statement added.
Gardaí said they recovered an imitation firearm and handbags. It is understood the bags belong to workers at the premises concerned. However, gardaí would not give further information on the name of the business.
The men are being held under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act. One is being held at Santry Garda Station and the other at Whitehall Station.
Gardaí are also investigating an armed raid on a bank in Co Longford this afternoon.
Two men - wearing building clothes and armed with a shotgun and a handgun - entered the Ulster Bank in Edgeworthstown shortly before 11.30am.
They left with an undisclosed sum of money in a Renault van which was later abandoned on the nearby Ballymahon Road.
Gardaí believe the raiders then transferred to 2005 Dublin-registered Audi and may have had Northern Irish accents.
There were no shots fired in the incident and no one was injured.