Gardai in Co Kildare arrested two men as part of their investigations into an arson attack on one of three Church of Ireland churches which have been vandalised in the county recently.
The men were arrested after the most serious of the incidents on July 9th, when petrol was poured over the vestry of Christ Church, Celbridge, and an attempt made to burn the building. The vestry door stopped the fire spreading.
On July 18th, St Peter's Church, in Donadea, near Prosperous, was broken into. Furniture was overturned and there was an attempt to set fire to a Bible. Little damage was done.
The third attack was on St John's Church, Kill, which had windows broken on June 16th. While this attack was put down to probable juvenile vandalism, gardai suspect the other attacks were carried out in retaliation for attacks on Catholic Church property in Northern Ireland.
The two men were released after being questioned for 12 hours in Naas Garda station.