Two questioned over bank raid bid

Two men were being questioned by gardaí tonight, suspected of attempting to stage a bank raid – through the roof.

The pair were detained after being spotted in a tent on top of a branch of Allied Irish Bank in Castletroy, Limerick.

As well as the men, gardaí found core drills capable of piercing solid concrete, cutting equipment and saws inside the tent, and efforts had been made to bore a hole through the flat roof of the building.

The building was surrounded by gardaí early today after activity had been noted above the bank, and officers moved in after surveillance lasting several hours.

The rooftop tent – coloured green to match the bank’s paintwork – had been specially sound-proofed in a bid to muffle the operation, gardaí said.

Cooling gear was on hand to aid the drilling, and the intruders, who could have been undercover for a number of days, had cheekily utilised the AIB electricity supply to power the raid.

The garda swoop was led by officers investigating criminal gangs currently active in Limerick.

Inspector John Scanlon said: “This was quite a sophisticated operation. But for our intervention, we believe a significant quantity of cash would have been stolen.”

A garda spokesman said inquiries into the incident were continuing.