Former footballer held up by armed men outside bank

The former Dublin footballer, Mr Paddy Cullen, was recovering last night after armed raiders attacked him in Swords, Co Dublin. He was attempting to lodge the takings from his pub at a bank in the village.

Mr Cullen and a bank porter wrestled with the two raiders before two passing gardaí came to their assistance and arrested the pair.

No shots were fired during the incident. However, the raiders pointed their firearm at Mr Cullen's head and also pointed it at the two gardaí.

Mr Cullen's wife, Anne, last night said her husband was distressed after the incident. "He had bullets pointed at his head . . . He's very, very shocked after the whole thing."

Yesterday's events took place shortly after 2.15 p.m. when Mr Cullen attempted to make a lodgement at the AIB in Swords. He was about to enter the bank to lodge the takings from his nearby Swords Manor pub when the raiders struck. One of the men approached Mr Cullen, pointed a gun at him and demanded he hand over the money.

Mr Cullen collapsed momentarily with shock. A porter at the bank saw what happened and tackled the second raider who was waiting on a nearby high-powered motorbike. The motorbike was knocked to the ground. Mr Cullen recovered and began tackling the second raider.

The two attackers could not start the motorbike and tried to get away on foot, as a Garda car passed the scene. One of the raiders was held on the spot by the bank porter and Mr Cullen. The armed attacker ran down the main street in Swords into the car-park of a hardware store. Gardaí caught and arrested him.

The men, both aged 18, were detained in Swords Garda station under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act. They can be held for 48 hours without charge.

Supt Noel McLoughlin said Mr Cullen's life had been threatened and he was in a "deep state of shock". He said the bank porter, Mr Brendan Donnelly, a former soldier with over 20 years' service, was "composed". "He displayed exceptional courage," Supt McLoughlin told RTÉ radio. When contacted last night Mr Donnelly preferred not to comment.

Supt McLoughlin said the weapon used would undergo a ballistic examination before it could be determined what type it was or if it was genuine. The motorbike will also be examined.

It was not known if Mr Cullen was the intended victim or whether the raiders were waiting outside the bank to carry out a random attack.