An area of about 200 metres radius was sealed off in the Kilnamanagh district of Dublin last night after an explosive device detonated under a car outside a pub in a busy shopping centre.
Gardai called in an Army bomb disposal squad to investigate the incident, which occurred as a motorist drove away from the Clock Tower public house in the Kingswood Shopping Centre.
The motorist was not injured and only slight damage was caused to his car. Gardai are seeking a motive for the attack. It happened as the centre was about to close after late-night Friday shopping.
A Garda spokesman said the area had been sealed off late last night and that a forensic team had been called in to examine the scene.
He added that the nature of the device would not be known until this investigation had been completed.