Four held after pipe bomb found in city apartment

A woman in her 40s and three others, a female and two males in their 20s, were being held by gardaí in Limerick last night after they raided a city centre apartment where they found a pipe bomb.

Gardaí under Supt Frank O’Brien, Henry Street, entered the apartment at Upper Cecil Street at around 8am as part of an ongoing investigation into serious drugs crime.

During the arrest operation, they found the pipe bomb and immediately evacuated the building.

The street was cordoned off and an army bomb disposal team from Collins Barracks, Cork, dealt with the device, rendering it safe.

The four arrested were being held under section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act.

Last week, two pipe bombs were found near a halting site on the Dublin Road.

And last year, a pipe bomb was thrown at a house in Sean Heuston Place.

Supt O’Brien said: “Unfortunately pipe bombs are becoming an integral part of the criminal’s arsenals.”

Gardaí believe the individuals previously linked to subversives are now offering ready-to-use pipe bombs to criminal gangs.