The two men, Tomas Puta and Maros Sulej, had been detained on foot of two European arrest warrants. They are now being held at Cloverhill Prison and are due to make a bail application on 5 September.

Authorities in the Czech Republic believe the two men were members of the Berdych gang, a notorious criminal gang reported to be responsible for robberies, kidnapping and murder in the 1990s. It is the largest case of organised crime in the country's history.

Puta and Sulej, who are both 34, are believed to have moved to Ireland in 2002 and 2003 and had been living in Celbridge, Co Kildare and Lucan, Co Dublin. Sulej, a former member of the Slovak police, is wanted for questioning over a spate of armed robberies, while Puta is suspected of involvement in robbery and murder. They were arrested on foot of two European arrest warrants, which was issued by the Czech authorities on 13 July. The case has resulted in tension between the Czech and Irish governments.

An extradition request was lodged by the Czech government last year but was not acted on due to anomalies in the Czech European Arrest Warrant legislation.