Man arrested after 'tiger' kidnapping

A bank worker’s wife was held hostage at gunpoint before being freed in rural Co Meath after being targeted in a 'tiger' kidnapping.

An armed gang ordered her husband, an employee at the Ulster Bank in Kimmage, south-west Dublin, to go to his branch and take a sum of cash to secure her release.

One man in his 20s was arrested by elite armed garda units on Kimmage Road West after the woman was released unhurt.

Gardai said all the money was recovered.

Officers said a gang of up to five people, some armed, called at the couple’s home in Ballyfermot at about 6.30am and took the woman hostage before driving her away in a car.

Her husband was told to go to work and take cash and wait for instructions.

It is understood the bank worker followed detailed rules on how to deal with tiger-kidnappings and detective units were alerted.

Gardai said the man’s wife was freed just after midday near Steeplechase Court, Fairyhouse, Co Meath, and she sought assistance from a local resident. She was not injured but it is understood she was left badly traumatised.

About 15 minutes after the woman was found, elite officers from the Organised Crime Unit and the Emergency Response Unit arrested a man in his 20s in the Kimmage area.

He was taken to Crumlin Garda Station for questioning under section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act. He can be held for seven days.

Gardai appealed for anyone with information on the attempted robbery or who may have seen anything suspicious early this morning or in the last few days on Ballyfermot Road; near the Ulster Bank, Lower Kimmage Road; and Steeplechase Court, Fairyhouse.

Justice Minister Dermot Ahern said he had been in contact with Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy to express his appreciation for the successful resolution of the incident.

"I express my deepest sympathy to the couple caught up in this dreadful, traumatic incident," Minister Ahern said.

"The successful resolution of the kidnap underlines once again the importance of following the protocols in place for dealing with this kind of incident.

"They are designed, firstly, to ensure the safety of persons and, secondly, to thwart the activities of these gangs.'