Defused nightclub bomb 'could have been fatal'

A homemade bomb left underneath a car beside a popular nightclub was primed and could have killed, it was revealed today.

Army bomb experts carried out a controlled explosion on the improvised device at Airside retail park in Swords, north Dublin.

The pipe bomb was found under a Range Rover in a car park next to the Wright Venue nightclub and several other businesses at around 1.30am.

A Defence Forces spokesman said: “The device was viable and had the potential to harm or kill.”

The driver of the 4X4 presented himself to gardaí at the scene and they are investigating the motive.

It is not known if the driver, who is not the registered owner of the vehicle, was targeted or had inadvertently parked his car where the device was left.

The area was sealed off and the Defence Forces were called out.

Management at the nightclub were asked to evacuate the premises but most revellers had gone home or were leaving at that stage, according to gardaí.

The Army bomb disposal team declared the area safe at 4.45am.

The 4X4 was taken to a military compound for technical examination.