Pipebomb factory in CIRA link smashed by gardai
By Tom Brady Security Editor
Irish Independent
Friday May 09 2008
Gardai have smashed a bomb supply line between terrorists and Dublin crime gangs.
The breakthrough was made yesterday after a major garda anti-terrorist operation resulted in the arrest of a key dissident republican suspect.
Detectives also recovered a pipebomb, which was ready to be sold to criminals and uncovered a hiding place being used by the manufacturers to store their potentially lethal home-made devices.
The discovery of the device led to a five-hour security alert involving an Army bomb disposal team on rough ground off the Pigeon House Road in the Irishtown area of Dublin’s south inner city.
Gardai believe more devices may have been hidden in the area and the scene, which is near a playground, has been sealed off.
A further search for bombs will be carried out there this morning.
The suspect, who is in his late 20s, is from the Pearse Street area and is well known to anti-terrorist officers as an active dissident republican supporter.
Operation
He was arrested following an operation involving members of the Emergency Response Unit and Special Branch detectives.
The suspect was “not co-operative” when he was confronted by gardai and after failing to surrender himself to detectives he was hit by a charge from a non-lethal Taser gun.
He was struck in the body by the projectile, which penetrates the skin and temporarily disables the suspect to allow him to be arrested.
The man was taken to Blackrock garda station and detained under section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act.
He later complained of feeling unwell and was taken to hospital for medical treatment but discharged shortly afterwards and brought back to Blackrock.
He can be held without charge for up to 72 hours.
Anti-terrorist officers believe the suspect was linked in the past to the Continuity IRA group but during recent activities had been working with the INLA to sell homemade explosive devices to crime gangs across the capital.
They think the suspect may have been one of the makers of the devices, which had been used increasingly by criminals as part of gang feuds, to settle grievances with rivals, or to intimidate figures targeted for extortion campaigns.
Gardai moved onto the rough ground at Pigeon House Road around lunchtime and after making the arrest decided to seek the help of an Army ordnance officer.
A bomb disposal team remained at the scene for more than five hours as the device was located and made safe without having to set off a controlled explosion.
A team of garda ballistics experts were also at the scene.
- Tom Brady Security Editor
