Pipe bomb found in Limerick

The Army bomb squad dismantled a pipe bomb in Limerick today which was destined for use in the city's ongoing bloody feud.

The crude device was discovered by gardaí in a coal shed in the St Mary's Park area of the city on Monday evening.

Gardai were called to the area following reports of a shooting at a house at Assumpta Park earlier yesterday afternoon.

It emerged today that the intended target in the shooting is closely related to one of the five men convicted of the murder of crime boss Kieran Keane and the attempted murder of his nephew Owen Treacy in January 2003.

However, the gunmen shot at the wrong house and fortunately no-one was injured in the gun fire.

During follow up searches for the weapon used in the shooting, gardaí located a suspect device in a coal shed in St Munchin's Street in St Mary's Park shortly after 5.30pm yesterday.

The home-made device - which was ready for use - was wrapped in plastic and hidden in an attic of the shed.

A spokesman for the Army bomb squad, which travelled to Limerick from Cork today, confirmed that the device was a pipe bomb.

The bomb squad dismantled the device and handed it over to the garda forensic team for technical examination.

Two men arrested in connection with the shooting were still being quizzed at garda stations in the city this afternoon where they are being detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act.

Garda sources revealed today that the shooting was directed at the wrong house and that it was linked to the ongoing Limerick feud which has claimed four lives in as many years.

The intended target - who is a close relative of a key figure in the feud currently serving a life sentence for murder- was spotted in the area yesterday afternoon.

It is understood the intended target has no involvement in the feud.

This is the second time in recent months that the bomb squad were called to the same area of Limerick city to examine a suspect device.

Last August, a similar type of pipe bomb was found buried in a yard at the rear of a house in St Mary's Park along with two sawn off shot-guns and 40 rounds of ammunition.

In March 2003 - shortly after the murder of Kieran Keane - pipe bomb components were found in a car being driven by a member of the Keane gang from Kildare to Limerick.

In January of the same year a booby trap car bomb was found attached to a car in Kilalee Street.

Senior garda sources today described the discovery of the latest lethal device in the city as "extremely significant" in their on going battle against serious crime in the city.

"This is a major blow to criminal factions. This was an indiscriminate which could have resulted in serious injury of even death, and of course we are extremely satisfied to have somehing of this nature off the streets," said a garda source.