Inmates who protested at Limerick jail moved

The five high-security prisoners who broke onto the roof of Limerick jail last Friday have all been moved to other jails for "operational reasons".

A report on the incident will be forwarded to director general of the Irish Prison Service Brian Purcell this afternoon.

The men stayed on the roof for almost 12 hours before voluntarily climbing down. A spokeswoman for the Prison Service said the reason for the men's protest was unclear.

It is believed the men were aggrieved about the transfer of an inmate to Cork prison, but this is not been confirmed by the Prison Service.

It is not clear if any of the men will be returned to Limerick prison. The Prison Service spokeswoman said some of those involved were due for release shortly.

Their protest sparked a large-scale security response with armed gardaí forming a security cordon around the prison.