Gardaí are questioning suspects about two botched armed raids in Dublin in which large amounts of cash were targeted.
The unrelated robberies occurred at a post office in Baldoyle, north Dublin, and on a cash-in-transit vehicle on Cork Street in Dublin's south inner city.
In the first incident, four men ambushed the cash-in-transit van, which loads ATMs with cash and makes other cash deliveries and collections, just after 7.30am.
A crew manning the large G4S vehicle had parked it on the side of the road close to the Lidl supermarket on Cork Street as they made deliveries when four masked men threatened them. Some of the raiders were armed with what looked like handguns.
One of the cash-in-transit workers was assaulted as the gang members tried to force him and his colleagues to surrender money. The gang managed to grab some bags of cash, but sped from the scene in a van as gardaí arrived. One of the gang dropped a replica handgun on the street, while bags of cash were also left behind.
Gardaí flooded into the area and arrested one man. The van that the three raiders escaped the scene in was found on fire at Dolphin’s Barn Green. The arrested man was being held in Kevin Street Garda station and was being questioned under section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act.
In an unrelated incident in Baldoyle, a number of men went into a post office and threatened staff. At least one of theraiders was armed with a handgun.The gang fled empty handed in a black 08 OY BMW 1 but only after the gardai had been alerted as the robbery was underway.
Gardai from Coolock who were patrolling in the area chased the raiders’ car towards nearby Portmarnock and arrested one man there. The 43-year-old was still being held at Coolock garda station on Friday evening under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.
The car gardaí chased which was believed to be carrying a number of raiders was last seen on Station Road, Portmarnock. Gardaí have appealed for anyone who may have seen it to come forward.
