Gardai are investigating an incident in which a man driving a red Volkswagen van allegedly attempted to abduct a 13-year-old girl on Wednesday morning in Lucan, Co Dublin. This follows similar reported incidents in Portlaoise, Kilkenny, Straffan, Maynooth and Monasterevan.
In two of the incidents the attacker was reported to be driving a red Volkswagen van. The Lucan girl got off a school bus on Wednesday shortly after 8 a.m. and began walking towards her school.
A man wearing a balaclava jumped from the parked van and attempted to drag her into the vehicle.
The girl managed to break free. The Maynooth attack happened two weeks ago as a 15-year-old girl was on her way home from school. She was walking down the town's Doctors Lane when a red van pulled up and the driver attempted to coerce her to enter the car.
The girl fled and the matter was immediately reported to gardai.
A Garda spokesperson has pleaded for witnesses to both incidents, and north Kildare gardai have begun early-morning patrols to allay parents' fears.
Gardai have established an information line on 01 628 0202.