Suspect device latest breach at Limerick Prison

A suspect device was discovered at Limerick prison today in the latest security breach at the jail.

The alarm was raised when prison officers found a crude home-made pipe bomb in the yard near the kitchen area of the jail at 10.30am.

The kitchen area was immediately evacuated and alternative lunch arrangements had to be made for more than 200 inmates and staff.

It was unclear whether the device, which had wires and fuses attached,was thrown over the 20-foot perimeter wall or if it originated inside the prison complex. The Army Bomb Squad was called in from Cork and Gardaí at Roxboro Road also confirmed that they were investigating the incident.

Prison sources said the latest security breach was part of a further escalation in tensions among members of feuding factions at the prison.

"We have so many people involved in the ongoing Limerick feud in separate wings at the prison now that tensions are very high.

"It's only a matter of time before someone is killed inside the prison with the amount of home-made weapons getting in," said one prison source.

Yesterday's security breach comes in the wake of ongoing concerns among prison staff about changes in security practices during ongoing construction work at the prison.

This includes the construction of a new wing which will accommodate 106 additional prisoners, some of whom have already arrived following the closure of Spike Island Prison.

Earlier this week, it emerged that visitors to the jail were no longer being searched for drugs or weapons.

The practice of searching visitors was supended following the removal of several old prefab units at the main entrance to the prison.

The prefabs were removed as part of the ongoing construction work.

Previously, visitors entered through the prefabs, where they were screened, but the practice has been temporarily suspended during building work.

Today's security alert follows last month's probe into the smuggling of a suspect package into Limerick prison.

On January 23, CCTV footage reavealed that a suspect parcel had been left on a window ledge at the prisoners' workshop.

The package was later picked up by an inmate, prompting a major search of the complex by prison authorities amid fears that it may have contained a gun.

The searches yielded a number of weapons, including home-made knives and bars but no firearms were discovered.

Security footage showed that the package had been smuggled in through a site entrance at the rear of the prison by a person wearing construction clothing.