THE FATHER of murder victim Roy Collins was yesterday moved to safety by gardaí after pipe bombs were discovered close to his pub.
Businessman Steve Collins was taken out of the area after three pipe bombs were found at the Roxboro Shopping Centre yesterday morning, just yards from his Steering Wheel pub.
It was here his son Roy (35) was shot dead last April as he worked in the family’s Coin Castle Amusement Arcade.
Yesterday Mr Collins (54), who lives under Garda protection, was left shaken by the discovery. “I’m shook up over it,” he said. “It’s another scary moment for us when you hear of pipe bombs being found so close. Roy was shot at 12 o’clock in the day, so nothing would surprise me.”
Mr Collins told how he was informed by gardaí that the bombs were not meant for him, but said he was left unconvinced.
“If they were not for us, then why plant them in the shopping centre where there are armed guards at the front of the pub and the Garda station is just across the road? You have to ask yourself who else were they meant for.”
The devices were found in the yard behind the shopping centre, which is in full view of Roxboro Garda station just across the road.
The discovery was made following a Garda intelligence operation and extensive searches of the area on Wednesday evening.
Mr Collins added: “At the end of the day the reality is that pipe bombs were found at the back of the pub. There is always ongoing intimidation of the family so this is just another form of that.”
Two men were last night being interviewed by detectives at Henry Street Garda station in connection with the find. Both are in their 30s and were arrested close to the Roxboro Shopping Centre.
They are being held under section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act.
Army bomb disposal experts yesterday confirmed that the pipe bombs were capable of causing an explosion and removed them for forensic testing.
Meanwhile, gardaí said the bomb discovery was made as part of an ongoing crackdown on organised crime in Limerick.
In a follow-up search yesterday, up to 60 rounds of ammunition were discovered in the Glasgow Park housing estate in Southill, close to the Roxboro centre, and gardaí also conducted searches in the village of Murroe.
The Collins family has lived under 24-hour Garda protection since Mr Collins’s nephew Ryan Lee gave evidence against gang leader Wayne Dundon in 2005. Last week Mr Collins received a Limerick Person of the Year Award for his bravery in standing up to criminals in the city.
A month after father-of-two Roy Collins died, his father led thousands on a peace march through the city to call for an end to gang violence. This prompted the introduction of tough new crime-fighting measures aimed at curbing criminal gangs.