Estate evacuated over hoax grenade scare

SIXTY homes were evacuated in a new estate in Gorey, Co Wexford, yesterday morning, after a resident who had earlier received a threatening letter found a suspect device on the windowsill of her family home.

The terrifying ordeal began at around 9.15am yesterday when the device, which resembled a grenade, was discovered by one of the female residents of the house. Gardaí were not naming the family involved, saying they were very traumatised by the ordeal.

It is understood the family living at the two-storey home received a threatening letter in the past few days, telling them to get out of the house by 5pm that day.

Gardaí are investigating whether the two incidents are linked, but have ruled out any subversive link.

Investigating garda Sgt John O’Riordan declined to comment on the existence of a letter, but said they were treating the incident very seriously. “I went down myself and looked at the object and it resembled a hand grenade. We alerted the bomb squad and the army removed it. It looks like an elaborate hoax. Someone obviously went to a lot of trouble to make it look like the real thing.”

One neighbour in the Carnew Road area, about a quarter of a mile from Gorey town, said: “I can’t imagine that this device was left for the family at the home. They work away and don’t bother anyone. It has to have been a mistake.”