Bomb planted on a bus during Queen’s visit to Ireland

A bomb planted on a bus by a man targeting the 2011 visit of Queen Elizabeth to Ireland could have inflicted “serious injury” to the 31 people on board if it had gone off, the Special Criminal Court heard yesterday.

Donal Billings, aged 66, also made bomb threats relating to the State banquet for the British monarch at Dublin Castle and against Cork Airport, from where the Queen was departing the country.

The court heard that in one bomb threat, the caller said he was from the “Republican Brotherhood Squad”, that there were mortars set for Dublin Castle, adding “this is for the Queen”.