Royal Mail van hijacked on cross border trip

Two armed men hijacked a Royal Mail van heading to Dublin from Belfast and took the driver hostage, gardaí said today.

The van was travelling south overnight and should have arrived at 1.30am this morning but failed to turn up, a garda spokesman said.

It was discovered at Mullacurry, Dunleer, Co Louth, this afternoon with the driver tied up in the back and most of its contents missing.

Gardaí believe the driver had been stopped by the two men in the Co Louth area and was forced into a car and driven around for some time before being left in the back of his vehicle.

He was uninjured despite his ordeal, the spokesman said.

Officers from Drogheda garda station are investigating the crime, and the scene has been preserved for technical examination.