A Co Tipperary shopkeeper was assaulted and his premises set on fire during a late-night raid, gardaí said today.
Two men attacked the manager and smashed his mobile phone before locking him in a rear yard and fleeing with cash. Around €10,000 was stolen during the robbery, which happened at around 10pm as the Lyons Spar convenience store in Queen Street, Clonmel, was being locked up.
A display of fire logs was also set alight, causing extensive damage to the shop. Garda said the man managed to free himself and gave a description of the suspects to gardaí.
Two men, aged 23 and 24, were arrested a short time later and were taken to Clonmel Garda Station for questioning, where they can be held for 24 hours. The cash was not recovered.
The shopkeeper was taken to hospital as a precaution but released a short time later.