Garda station shut down over Shatter hoax
The army bomb squad rushed to investigate the suspicious item yesterday morning after concerns about what it contained were raised — resulting in a Garda station being shut down for three hours.
Staff at the An Post sorting office on Edmonstown Road in Rathfarnham, Co Dublin, first raised the alarm after finding what is believed to have been white powder leaking from a package. They contacted the nearby Garda station immediately.
Gardaí called the army bomb squad for assistance just before 9am.
However, after spending three hours examining the item, the Defence Forces team confirmed it was a hoax and allowed the Garda station to re-open at 12.30pm.
Due to concerns over the risk of copy-cat attacks, the contents of the package have not been detailed.
A Garda forensics team is examining the package for finger-prints.
The incident comes at a time when Mr Shatter continues to be at the centre of a major controversy over gardaí recording phone calls, the penalty points crisis, an ultimately defeated Dáil no-confidence motion, and the reaction to whistleblowers in the force.
The incident follows another package sent to the Fine Gael TD which contained white powder, a photograph of Nazi soldiers, and a swastika.
The white substance was ultimately found to be baking powder, but the photograph and emblems led to a major security alert over the minister’s safety, partially due to his private religious beliefs.
The Department of Justice did not comment on the latest incident yesterday, while Mr Shatter’s spokesperson did not return calls.
However, speaking about the initial package last week, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said the hoax and the anti-semitic material contained inside were a “new low”.
