Gardaí in Cork yesterday questioned a 34- year-old man about an explosive device which went off under a car in a suburb on the northside of the city and injured a member of the Army’s bomb disposal team.
The bomb disposal officer from Collins Barracks in Cork was assessing the device found under the vehicle at Mervue Lawn in Ballyvolane, when the device exploded unexpectedly at about 12.45am yesterday.
The bomb disposal expert was lying close to the vehicle and was wearing a kevlar protective suit which protected him from the brunt of the blast but he did suffer some injuries and was taken by ambulance to Cork University Hospital.
Gardaí had evacuated residents from the 16 homes at Mervue Lawn at about 10.30pm on Sunday night after a local man had alerted them to a suspicious device under a silver Toyota Avensis parked in the quiet cul-de-sac.
According to Comdt Denis Hanly of the Defence Forces Press Office, the officer suffered minor injuries, including cuts, bruises and flash injuries, and was kept in hospital overnight as a precautionary measure before being discharged yesterday.
Supt Tom Myers of Mayfield Garda station said that the Army officer was fortunate to escape without serious injury as were locals in the area as the improvised explosive device had the capacity to maim or kill.
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