Gardaí have charged a man in connection with a series of incidents in Co Louth, including a hijacking in which a man was threatened with a blood-filled syringe.
A Garda spokeswomen said the charges are connected with the armed robbery of a shop on Narrow West Street in Drogheda. The raider used a knife to threaten staff and escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash.
She said the same man was believed to have been involved in a hijacking and false imprisonment at a filling station on the Donore Road.
The man jumped into the driver's seat of a car on the forecourt. He threatened the passenger with a blood-filled syringe, preventing him from getting out.
The car was driven to Swords, Co Dublin where the passenger was able to escape and notify gardaí.
A man was arrested after a search and the car was recovered.
Charles Moran (23), of Beechwood Avenue in Drogheda, appeared before a Special Sitting of Ardee District Court last night in connection with the incidents.
