A fifth man has been arrested by gardaí in Cork in connection with an attempted armed robbery in Glounthaune.

It's understood that a number of men attempted to break into the home of the businessman in his 50s but the alarm was raised, gardaí were alerted and the raid was foiled.

Two men - both from the southside of the city and well known to gardaí - were captured near the house and arrested.

Gardaí then began a major search operation for another three men whom they believed were involved in the foiled raid.

Armed Gardaí from Cobh and Midleton were joined by armed officers from Cork City, as well as armed members of the Regional Support Unit.

Around 11.30pm, gardaí arrested another three men in the Glanmire area nearer to Cork city and all three were detained under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act.

Newstalk's southern correspondent Jonathan Healy says Gardaí moved quickly to apprehend the suspects, "Glounthaune is a village in East Cork, about 15 minutes from the City. This was a very significant garda operation, involving officers from a number of different divisions, the armed support unit, as well as the garda helicopter. The helicopter was seen in the skies above Cork city last night, shining its spotlight, as gardaí searched for other members of the gang."