Bandon suspected pipe bomb was at home of man who develops Ipas accommodation
A 2015 file photo of gardaí supervising the removal of a suspect device by the Defence Force’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit. The device found in Bandon on Thursday was found at the home of a man who develops accommodation for asylum seekers. File picture: Jim Coughlan
The West Cork home of a man who develops accommodation for asylum seekers appears to have been targeted with a suspected pipe bomb on Thursday night.
The unexploded device was found in the driveway of a home in an affluent area of Bandon.
The suspected target has spoken publicly about fears for his and his family's safety before. He has been involved in developing sites for use by the International Protection Accommodation Service (Ipas), some of which have been targeted by protests and attacks.
Neighbours were evacuated around 7pm on Thursday evening but were permitted to return at 10pm.
The Defence Force’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit removed the suspected bomb, and ballistics tests were to be carried out on it.
No one was in the targeted house at the time, but a neighbour noticed the device and reported it.
Gardaí kept watch on the street overnight. Some gardaí were still present on Friday evening.
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One resident, who asked not to be named, said that they were woken by gardaí at their door telling them to evacuate as a bomb had been found on the street.
“They said we had to get out for our own safety. But they didn’t rush us.
“I left with my children, but I was not afraid to return. When they [gardaí] said it was safe to return, I trusted them that it was.
“I usually feel so safe in this area.”
Another neighbour who also asked not to be named said that although a few families were evacuated from their homes on Thursday night, the situation was handled well by gardaí.
Locals felt the situation was contained and were not too concerned for their safety on Friday, they said.
The device found on the driveway was small, and although it may have been able to damage someone who came into immediate contact with it, it could not have caused more widespread harm, they said.
The people whose home appears to have been targeted are "decent, hardworking people," local sources said.
Pipe bombs tend to be made of copper or aluminium piping, which is then stuffed with gunpowder and other materials and is sealed before it is set.
Gardaí in Bandon are looking to speak to anyone who may have noticed anything suspicious in the area on Thursday, and they are appealing for anyone with video footage, including dashcam footage, from the area to make it available to gardaí.
A senior investigating officer has been assigned to the case.
“This sort of intimidation has no place in our society,” local Fianna Fáil councillor Gillian Coughlan, who lives near the targeted home, told the .
"Thankfully, nobody was injured. We must now support the gardaí in detecting the origin of this crime.
“And I would hope that anybody who was behind this would desist."
Ms Coughlan said that as a local resident, she was shocked to hear the news.
“It's a lovely part of the town.
“It’s a quiet residential area and for something like this to take place there, or anywhere in our town, is a concern for me as a public representative.”
A garda spokesperson said that gardaí in Bandon received a report of a suspicious device at a location in the town on Thursday.
"A number of people were evacuated from the area, and the services of the Army EOD were requested. A cordon was established in the area.
"The device has been removed, and the cordon has been lifted.
"A technical examination of the scene was carried out, and investigations are ongoing," the garda spokesperson said.
- Anyone with information is asked to contact Bandon Garda Station on 023 8852200, or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666111.
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