Armed gang suspected of other raids

THE armed gang who held up gardaí and terrified staff at a hotel robbery yesterday are believed to be behind several similar “smash and grab” raids this year.

Top detectives have been trailing the gang living out of the Dublin area. There were unconfirmed reports that the gang are former members of the IRA.

In the latest robbery, four masked men burst through the doors of the Clonard Court Hotel in Athy, Co Kildare, in the early hours of Wednesday. Just after 2.30am, staff were held at gunpoint by the raiders, three of whom were armed with shotguns and one who was carrying a sledgehammer.