GARDAÍ IN Dundalk say “major injury could have been caused” if either of two pipe bombs discovered in the town in the early hours yesterday had exploded.
They confirmed that one device had been picked up by a local man who thought it was a firework and tried to light it. It did not ignite.
Gardaí suspect the incident is drugs-related, and are investigating whether there is a subversive connection.
The alarm was raised in a telephone call to the Samaritans in Newry at around 12.30am, in which pipe bombs were reported to have been left at two identified houses in different estates.
When alerted, gardaí went directly to a house in the Castle Heights estate, where they found a pipe bomb underneath a car wheel. The area was sealed off and the Army bomb disposal team called, who made the device safe and removed it for examination.
Gardaí discovered the second device on the path outside the second house named. It emerged that a man who had been visiting a house in Clan Chullainn Park had come across the bomb, picked it up and tried to light it because he thought it was a firework.
A Garda spokesman yesterday said: “Somebody was very lucky here. If either of these devices had ignited, major injury could have been caused.” The device was also dealt with by the bomb team. The individuals believed to have been the intended targets are in their 30s. One is originally from Newry.
The PSNI is co-operating with gardaí in the matter and is trying to identify the source of the telephone warning to the Samaritans.
“We are interviewing the people concerned and the scenes have both been examined by Garda experts,” the Garda spokesman said.
“The devices will be technically examined at Garda headquarters, and we have also been carrying out house-to-house enquiries. This is a sinister development, and one we hope is not repeated.”