Entrances to Government Buildings and Leinster House in central Dublin have been sealed off on Friday morning as gardaí deal with a suspected attack on three sets of gates on the Merrion Street side of the complex.
The three gates – at the entrance to the Department of the Taoiseach on Merrion Street; an entrance beside the Attorney General’s office; and the Merrion Lawn entrance to Leinster House – where there is a car park for TDs and Senators – appear to have been rammed by a van in the early hours of the morning.
A suspect (40s) was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol following the incident at 2.30am. He was later rearrested on suspicion of criminal damage. Photographs circulating on social media showed a damaged white van parked in the area and a white van subsequently being removed by the Garda.
Gardaí are also investigating other overnight ramming incidents at Áras an Uachtaráin in the Phoenix Park and at the Custom House in Dublin, home to the Department of Housing. All of the incidents are believed to be connected.
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Gardaí are also investigating another incident in the Phoenix Park in the early hours of Friday morning, which was described as “criminal damage” at the Phoenix Gate Lodge, although it is unclear if this incident is connected to the others that occurred in the city overnight.
There was visible damage to the gates to the Department of the Taoiseach and to the gates to Leinster Lawn but they remained in place. However, one of a set of two gates close to the office of the Attorney General was knocked from its hinges. This gate covers a laneway beside and behind the Attorney General’s office and around the back passing the Departments of Finance and Agriculture.
The suspect remains in custody on Friday. The white van used to ram the gates was extensively damaged. It was removed by gardaí at about 8am and has been taken for technical examination.
The area has also been sealed off as a crime scene and was due to undergo a technical examination through Friday. It appears the suspect arrived into the area and rammed the gates despite the presence of 24-7 static Garda posts outside the various buildings.
Some of the buildings are also protected by significant anti-ramming infrastructure, such as barriers that can be raised and lowered to make vehicle access impossible.
However, Garda sources said the incident overnight was likely to lead to a review of security at the area, specifically the vehicular entry points.
“Gardaí were alerted to a single-vehicle road traffic collision on Merrion Street Upper, Dublin 2 at approximately 2.30am on Friday,” Garda Headquarters said in reply to queries.
“The driver of the vehicle, a male in his 40s, was arrested on suspicion of offences under the Road Traffic Act. He is currently detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 at a Garda station in Dublin city.
“The scene remains preserved to facilitate a technical examination by the local Scenes of Crime Unit this morning. Investigations are ongoing.”
The incident, though unusual, is not the first to occur at Government Buildings in recent years, with several break-ins. In 2010, property developer Joe McNamara, known as the Anglo Avenger, was prosecuted for parking a “cherry picker” truck outside Leinster House while the then Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan was making a budget speech. The prosecution was later dropped.
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