Limerick feud gang launch grenade attack

A Limerick criminal gang at the centre of a violent feud are believed to responsible for a weekend hand grenade attack on the home of a young family.

The deadly device was thrown into the front room of the house at Colbert Avenue in the Janesboro area of the city at around 4.30pm on Sunday.

The familiy - including four young children - were in the back room of the house when the grenade exploded. Gardaí say they had a "miraculous escape".

It is understood the perpetrators walked up to the house in broad-daylight, smashed the front window and then threw in the hand-grenade before fleeing the scene.

The gang suspected of carrying out the attack is a southside based gang responsible for some of the most violent crimes in the city, including at least two feud related murders.

The intended target of Sunday's grenade attack is known to gardaí. However, detectives remain uncertain as to the motive behind the potentially fatal attack.

One senior source indicated that the attack was not feud related but linked to a dispute between the south side gang and a local man.

Concern is also mounting among gardaí in Limerick as to the extent of the weapons now in the hands of Limerick criminal gangs.

In recent months gardaí have seized large quantities of ammunition and guns including an Urma sub-machine gun which was seized in the early hours of St Patrick's Day.

"Sunday's hand grenade attack certainly represents a sinister development in terms of the type of explosives these criminals are getting their hands on," said one garda source.

"The family who were targetted on Sunday had a miraculous escape and fortunately were in the back of the house when the grenade exploded and destroyed the entire contents of the front room," he added.

Gardaí at Roxboro garda station have appealed for any witnesses to contact them on [phone].