Gardaí are searching for an armed gang following a bungled raid at Tallaght Hospital last night.
The three armed men, who entered the A & E department of Tallaght Hospital at 2.30 a.m., were attempting to release a prisoner they thought was a patient in the hospital at the time.
Two of the men were wearing balaclavas, and one had his head loosely covered in bandages.
The men headed directly for the nurses' station, but witnesses said their demands were unclear.
A prison officer, who was guarding two prisoners from Cloverhill Prison being treated in the A & E at the time, was questioned at gunpoint by one of the armed men about the whereabouts of the prisoner they were seeking.
Neither of the two prisoners present was the individual the armed men were looking for.
The armed gang fled the hospital on foot and were seen getting into a silver-coloured car.