By Cormac O’keeffe, Security Correspondent And Neil Michael,Irishexaminer.com

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Gardaí say they have identified the owner of the suspect bag and inquiries are ongoing. Detectives from the SDU are taking charge of the investigation.

Garda HQ said an ongoing incident at the airport began shortly before noon.

A spokesperson said: “Gardaí are currently at the scene of an incident at Dublin Airport.

“As this is an ongoing operation, no further information is available at this time.”

Videos and photographs show large crowds of passengers leaving the terminal and gathering outside, as traffic builds around the airport.

Several sources confirmed to the Irish Examiner that a suspicious item was discovered inside a bag that passed through security scanners.

This triggered an alert, and airport police were informed before the terminal was evacuated.

A Defence Forces Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team has been deployed.

A spokesperson for Dublin Airport said the terminal was closed “as a precautionary measure.”

“The safety and security of our passengers and staff is our absolute priority,” they said.

“Passengers are being directed to designated assembly points and we ask everyone to follow the instructions of airport staff.

“Flight operations may be temporarily impacted, and we advise passengers to check with their airline for the latest updates.

“We will provide further information as soon as it becomes available.

“We thank passengers for their patience and cooperation.“

Flights appear to be leaving Terminal 2, where Aer Lingus occupies 28 check-in desks, as normal.

The 12.40pm to Boston is currently boarding and the other flights appear to be proceeding as normal, including flights to Manchester, Donegal and San Francisco.

Three of the ten flights due to arrive at Terminal 2 are delayed, but all the others are on schedule, and one – the 12.50 Aer Lingus from Barcelona – is due to land shortly.