Fianna Fáil's European election candidate, Mr Royston Brady, has described as "sinister" the discovery of 150 of his election posters, badly damaged, in the boot of a car in Dublin, writes Liam Reid.
Gardaí in Dundrum found the posters belonging to the Lord Mayor when they searched a car containing two non-nationals in Dundrum on Wednesday night.
The two men, believed to be Algerian, were detained by gardaí in Dundrum Garda station and held overnight.
A Garda spokesman said they were due to be charged yesterday in relation to immigration offences, but not with taking down or damaging posters.
Mr Brady believes the posters were removed from lamp-posts in the south Dublin area, but as yet has no idea why his, in particular, were targeted.
"Sinister is the word I'd use," Mr Brady said about the discovery. "They were badly damaged, and they are of no use to me now."
He was told by gardaí of the find yesterday morning and that as yet they were unable to identify a motive. "These guys won't answer any questions. They won't say why they were doing it," said Mr Brady.
The Lord Mayor does not believe the two men were motivated by personal political opposition to his policies. He suspects they may have been paid by a third party, as they had a considerable sum of money when they were arrested.
If it turns out that the supporters of another candidate were behind the damage, "it will be very disappointing," said Mr Brady.
The Lord Mayor, a veteran campaigner in the Dublin Central constituency and part of the Taoiseach's Drumcondra Fianna Fáil organisation, said the loss of a small number of posters was to be expected in a closely fought election.
This occurred when supporters of one candidate removed the occasional poster of a rival to make room for their own.
"But for guys to be going around at night time in a car full of my posters, it's just very strange."
"I don't blame the two lads," he said.
"What bothers me greatly is that someone out there put these guys in serious jeopardy."
Mr Brady has had more than 2,000 posters printed, at a cost of between 5 and 6 each.