DPP to decide over charges against man with ‘viable’ bomb found in car

A file is to be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) following the arrest of a man in connection with the discovery of a "viable" bomb in a car in Limerick.

The explosive device was discovered in the footwell of the vehicle which was stopped by gardaí in the city late on Tuesday night.

Gardaí arrested the driver and seized the car. There was no other person in the car at the time, gardaí confirmed.

The device was found when gardaí carried out an extensive search of the car in a compound at Henry Street garda station.

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Following the man's arrest, Supt Derek Smart confirmed the station was "not evacuated" and that gardaí did not close off any streets surrounding it.

“The was no evacuation,” he said.

Gardaí requested the help of the Defences Forces bomb squad based in Cork, which arrived in Limerick around 1.30am on Wednesday.

Supt Smart said the bomb squad unit did not carry out a controlled explosion and that the device was made safe and then handed over to gardaí.

The scene was declared safe around 4am on Wednesday morning.

The driver of the car, a 25-year old man from Limerick City, was questioned for 36 hours and released without charge on Thursday.

The DPP has to decide whether or not charges are to be brought against him.

The Defence Forces said in a statement that its bomb disposal unit removed the bomb "to a secure military installation for further examination" before it handed over "material of an evidential nature to An Garda Síochána to assist with their investigations."

The Defence Forces said its bomb disposal units “have responded to 12 requests and made safe five viable improvised explosive devices so far this year”.

“EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal ) deal with other types of call outs such as conventional munition, destruction of old grenades discovered by members of the public, unstable chemicals and also suspect devices found to be hoaxes,” it said.