Four of the five people injured in the petrol bombing of a family home in north Dublin have been discharged from hospital as gardaí continue to appeal for witnesses to the botched attack.
Gardaí believe the arson of a property in Finglas on New Year’s Eve was intended to target a man living in the area who is suspected of involvement in organised crime.
Much of the three-storey house was destroyed in the blaze, which began at about 12.45am, injuring two women and three teenagers inside.
The woman, aged in her 40s, remains in hospital, where she is being treated for serious injuries and is in a stable condition. A woman in her 20s and three teenagers – two girls and one boy – who have been discharged are continuing to receive medical attention.
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Gardaí are continuing to appeal to anyone who may have witnessed the incident or noticed anything suspicious in the Creston Avenue area between midnight and 1am on December 31st to contact them.
In the aftermath of the attack, bloodstains were visible on the street outside as the occupants of the property injured themselves as they tried to escape.
They were cut on broken glass as they jumped from windows smashed by local people who aided their rescue in the moments before the emergency services arrived.
One child had managed to run to safety and alert neighbours that her siblings and mother were trapped inside by the flames.
One woman was trapped and had to be rescued inside the house by firefighters.
Gardaí are hopeful CCTV footage recorded by cameras at houses locally, and nearby businesses, captured the attackers in the area.
Gardaí believe the gangs behind petrol bombings and other intimidatory attacks, such as smashing windows of houses and cars or setting vehicles alight, are using young boys to carry out the violence.
Due to their inexperience, the boys have at times targeted the wrong addresses or caused much more extensive damage than intended, leading to loss of life in some cases.
The Finglas attack comes just weeks after a firebombing linked to rival drugs gangs claimed the life of Tadgh Farrell (4) and his grand-aunt Mary Hoult (60).
