Rooftop raiders caught red-handed
The two well-known Limerick criminals were caught red-handed by armed gardaí who mounted a surveillance operation at the AIB bank in Castletroy on the outskirts of Limerick city at 2am yesterday.
The raiders were discovered with high- powered industrial drilling equipment, inside a green canvas tent, which had been soundproofed with aero- board.
Two powerful core drills capable of cutting through concrete were also found. The core drills measured nearly three feet in height and were found with several hammers and saws. A light bulb had been connected inside the tent, hooked up to the bank's air conditioning system.
The raiders had also brought cylinders of gas into the tent to power their cutting torches.
"This was an elaborate, sophisticated attempt at breaking into a financial institution, which had been highly organised to the point of military precision," said one garda source.
Gardaí believe the two raiders had been drilling through the bank's roof for a number of hours when they were arrested.
The raiders were on the bank's roof on at least one previous occasion, as gardaí found equipment at the scene earlier on Monday.
"They had definitely been up there a couple of days before, if not the day before, as we uncovered equipment there on Monday," revealed one garda source.
Yesterday's surveillance operation involved teams of armed gardaí under Det Insp Bob Noonan from Roxboro garda station in Limerick and Det Sgt Dan Haugh of Henry Street garda station in the city.
The men were described last night as among the city's most serious criminals.
"Both suspects are very well known to gardaí and are among the most serious criminals in Limerick city," said a garda source.
The two men were arrested at the scene and brought to Henry Street garda station where they were detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.
They are both expected to appear before Limerick District Court today.
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