An Irish website has apologised after an "extremely insensitive" April Fools' article was published on the site, saying it was posted by an "unauthorised person".

The article, which appeared on the Kildare Now website, said a man calling himself 'Paddy Jihaddy' had rigged a local landmark with explosives.

It also featured a photoshopped image of an Islamic State flag on top of the landmark.

The article has since been removed and an apology has been posted by the site's editorial team.

They write that they "would like to immediately distance ourselves from this posting and point out that the story was completely unauthorised and was not posted by a member of the editorial team.

"Kildare Now would like to apologise unreservedly to everybody who was rightly offended by the article which was extremely insensitive especially in light of recent tragic events in Brussels and elsewhere," they add.

The statement says a full internal investigation will be carried out to find out how the site was accessed by an "unauthorised person".