Gardaí suspect a bomb threat made against Taoiseach Simon Harris and his family came from a prisoner in a jail in the Republic.
The call was made to the Samaritans, which prisoners have access to for support, and it is now strongly suspected the call came from a prisoner who contacted the service from an Irish jail.
It was not clear where the call came from, and it appears neither the Garda nor the Irish Prison Service has determined the precise details. However, the main line of inquiry is that the call came from a prisoner.
Garda sources stressed the criminal investigation into the incident was still at an early stage, adding although the possibility a prisoner made the call was now a strong line of inquiry, investigators were also exploring other avenues.
Gardaí have been investigating the bomb threat made against the Co Wicklow home of Mr Harris since it occurred on Wednesday evening. The investigation is being led by the Garda Special Detective Unit, which is the State’s counter-terrorism investigative unit.
The Irish Times understands an anonymous caller rang a Samaritans helpline, shortly before 6pm, and claimed there was an explosive device at the Harris family home. The alarm was immediately raised by the organisation.
Gardaí attended Mr Harris’s home in Greystones. No device was found during a search of the property. It is understood Mr Harris was in the Dáil at the time, but his wife and children were at home. They were not evacuated during the search.
Speaking at he entered a summit of EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday, Mr Harris said the bomb hoax was intended to “intimidate and upset” his family, describing the events as an “unacceptable situation”.
“I don’t really wish to comment on it other than to say obviously this is clearly unacceptable situation. Even the word hoax I’m not sure is a fair word as I’ve no doubt these things are done to intimidate and upset. I have young children, I have a wife,” he said.
Such threats represented “a really unacceptable situation”, Mr Harris said, adding when people turn up outside his house it should not be described in media reports as a “protest”.
If, as now suspected, the call to the Samaritans is traced to a prison, it would be the second time member of the current Cabinet has been targeted in that way.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee and her family have been targeted several times with threats, including false claims about explosive devices, that forced the evacuation of their home.
In March a convicted rapist who made a hoax bomb threat to Ms McEntee’s home, from the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise, was convicted and sentenced to two additional years in prison.
Michael Murray (54), formerly of Seafield Road, Killiney, Dublin, was found guilty of one count of knowingly making a false report giving rise to an apprehension for the safety of someone else while he was imprisoned in the Midlands Prison, Portlaoise, on March 7th, 2021 following a trial.
In the call he said: “This is the Irish National Liberation Army. Explosives have been planted at the home of the Minister of Justice and her family. The password is Red October. This is to do with a court case happening in Dublin tomorrow.”
Murray has 40 previous convictions for rape, sexual assault, harassment, abduction of a child, false imprisonment, threats to kill, burglary and theft. In 2013, Murray was convicted of abducting a mother and her four-year-old son and repeatedly raping the woman for hours. He received a sentence of 19 years’ imprisonment for this.
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis
