Two men have appeared in court charged with conspiring to cause an explosion in Derry.

A PSNI detective told the court mortars were found in a van on Sunday night and were ready for imminent deployment.

Gary McDaid and Seamus McLaughlin are both from Derry. They are also charged with possessing explosives.

The two have been remanded in custody.

The mortars and mortar tubes are devices which are found inside warheads. They were discovered inside a van with its roof cut off which might have been an intended launch pad.

The Donegal-registered van and a motorcycle that was following it were stopped by Police near to the Donegal border at Foyle Road in Derry. It was part of an on-going security operation into dissident republican activity.