Bomb alerts grow by 50% so far this year

THE number of bomb alerts has jumped by nearly 50% this year, new figures show.

This follows four separate incidents yesterday in Dublin, two of which may be linked.

The army bomb squad, known as the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Team, has been called out almost 150 times so far this year.

This compares to about 100 call-outs in 2006 and the same in 2007.

Figures released by Defence Minister Willie O’Dea show the rise in call-outs has been paralleled by a jump in hoaxes. These have jumped from about 10 in both 2006 and 2007, to about 50 this year to date.

Mr O’Dea said total figures included both suspect devices and the removal of old ordnance.

Providing figures to the Dáil, he said there were:

101 call-outs in 2006, including eight hoaxes.

98 call-outs in 2007, including 11 hoaxes.

143 call-outs in 2008 (to October 16), including 51 hoaxes.

The figures do not include the four incidents yesterday, one of which was described as a hoax.

Yesterday, three call-outs were made between 8am and 11am. During a planned search at a halting site in Coolock, north Dublin, gardaí found a suspect device. They called out the EOD, which removed the device, a training grenade, and declared it as not viable.

In west Dublin, gardaí discovered a suspect device under a car at a house in Foxdean, Lucan. Neighbouring houses were evacuated and the area was sealed off. The EOD team carried out a explosion at the scene and declared the area safe.

Soon after, the EOD team was sent to Ballyfermot, south-west Dublin, and carried out another controlled explosion on a device, which had also been placed under a car outside a home.

Security sources said the two devices had been similarly constructed and gardaí will investigate links between the two attacks.

Sometime after 12pm, a suspicious device was located in Oliver Bond Street in the south inner city, but was declared a hoax.

Meanwhile, a man remained in custody yesterday in connection with a gun murder in Dublin’s north inner city last Sunday.

The suspect, aged 20, is not thought to be the person who shot Gavin McCarthy dead and was being questioned in relation to a firearm gardaí found shortly after the shooting.

The handgun is thought to have been the weapon used in the attack.