Exploded pipe bomb 'similar to dissident device'

A pipe bomb which exploded in north Dublin last night was similar to a device seized on the M50, which has been linked to dissident republicans, it emerged today.

Defence Forces spokesman Commandant Brian Cleary said the bomb, which partially detonated at the home of John Ward, a second-hand car dealer in Glin Road, Coolock, could have been lethal.

“There have been a number of similar devices found in recent months in Dublin,” he said.

“They were well reported incidents along the M50 and in other areas of Dublin before Christmas.”

No-one was injured when the pipe bomb, which consisted of nails and shotgun pellets with a quantity of explosives, went off yesterday evening.

The device, which was concealed in a flask, had been left on top of the boot of a car in the driveway of the house.

When the car was moved just before 5pm, the flask containing the bomb fell and partially exploded.

Detectives are still trying to establish a motive for the attack after forensic officers carried out an examination of the scene.

Commandant Cleary said the army bomb disposal squad dealt with the device after being called to the scene last night.

“They have told me that it was a sophisticated device, certainly intended to cause lethal damage and possibly death,” he said.

“Had anybody been in the vicinity of this device when it exploded, it would have caused serious injury if not worse.”

Commandant Cleary said the device consisted of a thermos flask with a pipe inserted into it and various projectiles surrounding it.

“It appears that the device actually fell onto the ground and it broke and the internal explosive aspect of the pipe itself then exploded so it was certainly a sophisticated enough device,” he said.

“Obviously the person that assembled this device knew what they were at, as I mentioned it was quite sophisticated.

“This is an area that obviously the gardai and military intelligence will now examine.”

Commandant Cleary said the placing of the device on the boot of the car could have made it even more dangerous.

“The lethal effect would have been increased in so doing because the device would explode at torso height thereby causing maximum damage to somebody in its vicinity,” he told RTE Radio.

“You could conclude that if it had been placed under the car it may have caused more damage to the car than to anybody in the vicinity.

“But I would emphasise that no matter where it was placed, this was a lethal device and would have caused serious injury to anybody in its vicinity.”

Gardaí intercepted a bomb contained in a lunchbox in a car on the M50 last December.

The device was believed to have been made by dissident republicans and supplied to criminals.

Labour Party TD Tommy Broughan described yesterday’s attack as a “dastardly act that was clearly designed to kill”.

“It is an absolute miracle that no lives were lost following yesterday’s attack,” the Dublin North East representative said.

“Two men were extremely fortunate to escape with their lives when the device fell off the car to which it was attached.

“This crude device was planted on a parked vehicle in a heavily residential area, alive with families and children. Clearly the cowards who planted it didn’t care one bit about the potential loss of innocent life this bomb could have inflicted had it exploded at a different time.”

Fine Gael Justice Spokesman Jim O’Keeffe said the apparent link-up between paramilitary bomb-makers and Dublin criminals shows the two groups are uniting to develop convenience store criminality, in which bombs can be bought over the counter.

Mr O’Keeffe said this was a terrifying prospect for ordinary citizens.

“The discovery of a potentially lethal device outside a family home in north Dublin marks an extremely sinister development in Dublin’s gangland,” he said.

“Reports that the device was made by paramilitaries and sold on to gangland criminals suggest we are facing into a terrifying new phase in criminal activity in the capital.

“This link-up between trained paramilitary killers and ruthless members of gangland has created an unholy cocktail of convenience store criminality.

“I would like to commend the Gardaí for their swift reaction which minimised the risk to human life. However, the most worrying aspect by far is that the device detonated outside a family home,” he added.