Man kidnapped by gang in Belfast freed after armed gardaí surround car on Dublin’s M50

Four men were arrested and a firearm was seized after gardaí intercepted a car on Dublin’s M50 following a report of a kidnapping in Belfast on Thursday.

The incident began when the victim was bundled into a vehicle by the armed abduction gang. They immediately left Belfast and drove south into the Republic.

They were followed for a period by a person known to the victim who was driving another car.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) was alerted and sent a request for assistance to the Garda.

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An alert was then sent to all Garda personnel on duty in the area, including the registration of the car the abduction gang and victim were in.

A number of gardaí in a Garda traffic bureau vehicle spotted the car, after they were alerted via their in-car ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) system. They observed the vehicle for a period as they called for armed backup. When that backup was quickly put in place, the gang’s car was brought to a stop on the M50.

Members of the Armed Support Unit who forced the vehicle to a stop drew their firearms during the operation. They arrested the four suspects, also seizing a revolver and bringing the victim to safety.

The car was intercepted on the M50 at Junction 4 Ballymun shortly before 10pm.

In a statement gardaí said four men, all occupants of the car, were arrested at the scene for alleged offences under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997. A firearm, subject to technical and ballistic examination, was recovered from the vehicle.

All four are being detained under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2007 at Garda stations in the Dublin region.

A fifth man also in the car, who was reported missing from Belfast, was found safe and well, gardaí said.

An Garda Síochána said it was liaising closely with the PSNI, with investigations ongoing.

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