Three men have been arrested in connection with an attempted cash-in-transit van robbery outside a bank in Meath.

The arrests were made in Dunboyne this morning as part a garda operation led by the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau. 

Gardaí said they intercepted a number of "high-level targets" during the course of the robbery. 

They are understood to be significant players in the criminal world.

At least one of the suspects was wearing full body armour and a firearm was recovered at the scene.

The van is believed to have been carrying more than €200,000.

Two men were arrested at the scene and another man was arrested a short distance away.

The three men, all in their 30s, are being held at Blanchardstown and Finglas garda stations in Dublin.

Superintendent Tony Howard told reporters that the three men were prepared for an altercation with gardaí.

"They were heavily disguised in terms of clothing and other items," he said.