Two arrested after attempted armed robbery in Cork

Gardaí in Cork have arrested two men following a hostage-taking and attempted armed robbery at a house in the Rochestown area of the city last night.

Two armed and masked men broke into the house at Mount Oval shortly before 9pm.

The woman of the house, who was six months pregnant, was held at gunpoint until her husband returned around an hour later.

The man was then beaten by the raiders, who were apparently planning to bring him to a warehouse where they believed cash was stored.

However, he managed to escape and raise the alarm. Gardaí subsequently arrested two men as they tried to flee the house

The pair are believed to be from Belfast and Dundalk and gardaí are investigating the possibility that subversives may have been involved.

A third culprit is also believed to have escaped the scene.

The victim of the incident was local businessman Gary O’Donovan, whose family is involved in the off-licence trade in Cork.