Men held after armed robbery in Meath

Gardaí were last night appealing for information after a shotgun was discharged during an armed robbery in Co Meath.

Three men were arrested and the firearm was recovered following the incident at Bracetown.

At about 4.40pm, two men armed with a sawn-off shotgun and a screwdriver held up staff in a commercial premises at Bracetown industrial estate.

One shot was fired and an amount of cash was taken before the raiders fled the scene in a waiting car. There was no one injured during the incident.

The car used in the raid was found abandoned by gardaí a short distance away. A firearm was also recovered.

During a follow-up operation in the Finglas area last night, members of the Garda Organised Crime Unit arrested three men in connection with the incident.

The men, who are all aged in their 20s, were detained under section 30 of the Offences against the State Act, 1939, at Finglas Garda station, where they may be held for up to 72 hours.