GARDAÍ ARE questioning two men linked to dissident republicanism following a botched armed robbery during which a taxi driver was locked into the boot of his car at gunpoint.
The two suspects, who are from the North, were arrested by unarmed gardaí after abandoning the stolen taxi, gun and stolen money in the centre of Dublin and attempting to escape on foot.
The incident began yesterday at around 10am when the two suspects flagged down a taxi in the centre of Dublin. Once in the car one of the men produced a handgun and threatened the taxi driver.
The men forced the driver into the boot of his car, leaving him locked in for two hours as they drove around and parked for a period in the city centre.
Just before noon they drove the taxi to Prussia Street in the north inner city where they waited for a cash-in-transit van that was delivering money to a post office.
When the van arrived the men threatened the crew manning the van and at gunpoint ordered them to surrender a strongbox full of money. When the two raiders had the money they got back into the taxi and sped away from the scene. It appears they then made an effort to open the box close to Queen Street in the Smithfield area of the north inner city.
However, dye from the box exploded and the two men ran off leaving the taxi – with the driver still in the boot – as well as their firearm and the box of money.
Uniformed gardaí on patrol in the area chased the men and both suspects were arrested on nearby Church Street.
The men were being questioned last night at Store Street Garda station under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act. They can be held without charge for up to 72 hours.
Garda sources said the two arrested men, who are in their 30s, are believed to be linked to the dissident republican movement.
Meanwhile, in an unrelated Garda operation between 1,000 and 1,200 cannabis plants were found in sheds at the back of house in west Dublin yesterday.
The Garda have provisionally valued the plants at about €450,000.
The sheds had been converted into a large cannabis growing facility which had been kitted out with heat lamps, a watering system and had been insulated to retain the heat so the plants would grow more quickly.
The find was made yesterday afternoon on Blakestown Road in Blanchardstown, west Dublin.
As well as the sophisticated cannabis growing facility, the search also yielded nine stun guns.
One man was arrested at the scene. The suspect, who is in his 20s and is from Dublin, is being questioned at Blanchardstown Garda station under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996.
Garda sources said the facility had been set up in a professional manner and by people who clearly had experience running similar operations.
