Minister denies delay over suspect device
31/08/2006 - 15:27:51
There was no delay in telling gardaí about new information about a suspect terrorist device planted in the Mansion House over 25 years ago, the Minister for Justice Michael McDowell insisted today.
Mr McDowell said his department first received the information 48 hours ago but an Army team only began a search of the Lord Mayor of Dublin’s official residence this morning.
Members of the loyalist Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) today claimed in a newspaper interview that a bomb was concealed in a fire extinguisher above the platform at the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis conference at the venue in 1981.
The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Vincent Jackson, his wife and the house steward were evacuated last night from one of the capital’s best known buildings.
Gardaí erected a police cordon around the building at 9am today and a specialist Army search team entered.
Mr McDowell today admitted he first learned of the information 48 hours ago but he passed it on immediately to the Garda.
“It was taken seriously immediately and steps were taken to find out exactly what the information amounted to.
“Specific information was then handed by me to the Garda Siochana and they were in a position to act on foot of it.
“There has been no delay, no delay in acting on foot of this information.
