Shot fired in €120,000 raid in Arklow

Gardaí are seeking three men in connection with an armed raid in Arklow, Co Wicklow, yesterday during which up to €120,000 was stolen. One shot was fired by the gang during the robbery which took place outside a busy shopping centre in the town as an ATM machine was being loaded.

The raid comes after a lull in such robberies in recent months and will lead to fears that the west Dublin crime gang behind most of the previous raids may have resumed activity nine months after gardaí embarked on a major specialist operation to target them.

Yesterday's events unfolded after the crew of a security van unloading money at an ATM machine were approached by three men at the Tesco supermarket on the Wexford Road at 1.40pm.

The staff were threatened by the men, at least one of whom was armed with a sawn-off shotgun. One shot was discharged but there were no injuries. The three men fled the area in a Dublin-registered Peugeot 407.

The car was found abandoned a short time later at Lamberton Heights, a housing estate less than a mile from the crime scene. It was removed by gardaí and was being examined last night.

The three raiders made their way from the housing estate on foot to the nearby Arklow bypass. Gardaí believe another vehicle may have been waiting for the men or may have pulled up as the raiders arrived at the road.

They have appealed for anybody who may have seen the men fleeing on foot to come forward. Gardaí are also appealing to anyone who was travelling on the Arklow bypass between 1.40pm and 2pm who may have seen the three men to contact them at Arklow Garda station on 0402 32304.

Meanwhile, residents were evacuated from around 60 homes at a housing estate in Gorey, Co Wexford, yesterday after a suspect device was found at noon. The device was discovered on a window ledge at a house in the Woodbury estate.

Army bomb disposal experts were called to the scene to deal with the device but it had been dismissed by gardaí as a hoax by the time the Army personnel arrived at 1.30pm.

The device was similar to a hand grenade which had its fly-pin taped down.

One source said the device had been left as part of an ongoing feud. The residents of the house where the hoax device was found were not involved in the feud.