Homemade bomb incidents scare town

TERROR has struck a Co Cork town with four homemade bombs being planted in Bantry within a 24-hour period.

The potential gas cannister fire bombs failed to detonate, but gardaí, during one attack, quenched a burning rope fuse leading to a 500,000 shellfish boat.

Gardaí remain baffled by the sinister planned attacks. Locals said last night the harbour town was gripped by fear. Burning trails of petrol, being used as fuses, caused fire damage to the exterior of several buildings in the town centre early yesterday. One of the crudely-constructed devices was also left outside the town's garda station early yesterday. Senior garda said the gas cylinder deposited outside the Bridge Street station was possibly a warning to gardaí.

A state-of-the-art mussel harvesting boat, Shellseeker owned by Bantry May Mussels Ltd was a target twice within 24 hours. Early on Monday, serious damage to the boat was averted by the quick actions of gardaí.

The officers extinguished flames leading to four gas cannisters packed on the boat's deck. In a copy-carbon incident, a commercial gas cylinder was left on the same vessel around 4am yesterday. It did not explode. Bantry businessman Vivian O'Callaghan said: "people are frightened, but we have full confidence in the gardaí catching the culprits. If these thugs think this was some sort of a prank, they should have a fast rethink because they are putting lives at risk."

Mr O'Callaghan, a county councillor, said crime-free Bantry had never experienced a bomb threat before.

Garda technical experts yesterday conducted tests at a pier-side service station in Bantry where three 46kg commercial-type gas cylinders were stolen.

Tom Barry, who owns the premises, said: "an angle grinder was used to break the locks on a steel cage containing the cylinders. They are big commercial cylinders and no one person would be able to carry them."

Mr Barry, a town councillor said: "these attacks, two nights running, have left people genuinely in fear.

"We never had anything like this before in Bantry, and if one of those drums exploded, there could have been serious damage to property, but also a loss of life."

The office of the Bantry Bay Harbour Commissioners was also a target.

The attacks are believed to be linked to a dispute in the shellfish industry. But several mussel farmers were adamant yesterday they were not aware of any local feuds or grievances which could have sparked off the attacks.