TRAFFIC and business was severely disrupted in Dublin city centre for more than six hours yesterday after a hoax bomb warning from the UFF led gardai to clear O'Connell Street and the surrounding area.
A controlled explosion was carried out by an Army bomb disposal team on a rubbish skip at the junction of North Earl Street and O'Connell Street but nothing suspicious was found inside.
A loyalist source said the decision to cause the alert was made at the highest level within the UDA, which uses the UFF as its cover name, and that it was intended to send a serious message to Dublin.