ARMY BOMB disposal experts made safe a viable improvised explosive device (IED) yesterday after it was found in the centre of Donegal town in the morning.
The team arrived on the scene on Main Street at 12.45pm on foot of a Garda request. The device was found outside a branch of the EBS building society, just off the main Diamond area of the town.
The IED was removed for further examination, and found to contain explosive content.
The bomb disposal officer gave the all-clear at the scene at 1.27pm and remains of the device were handed to gardaí for investigation.
Part of the town was cordoned off for five hours. Dozens of employees could not gain access to their business premises.
Gardaí say they were alerted by a member of the public just after 7am. The device was visually examined by local gardaí, who made their suspicions known to senior personnel. A 200m area of Upper Main Street and Water Street was immediately cordoned off.
Garda Insp Denis Joyce, the senior officer present, said a description of the device indicated it had the appearance of a pipe bomb, and this was enough to raise an immediate security alert.
“I would ask for anyone in that vicinity of Donegal town, who may have seen anything suspicious between the hours of 5pm on Thursday and 7am on Friday morning, to contact gardaí in Donegal town on 074 9740190,” he said. “I would also like to thank local Donegal town businesses and visitors for their patience and co-operation during the alert.”
While the area was sealed off by 9am, there was a four-hour wait until 1pm before members of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Unit, the Defence Forces disposal team, arrived.
A team had previously been based at nearby Finner Camp during the Troubles, but the EOD’s main base is now in Athlone, Co Westmeath, from where the unit travelled.
After an investigation by a remote controlled robot, a heavily armoured member of the team approached the device and examined it before it was removed.
The device was later transferred in a specially sealed box to Donegal’s only military barracks at Finner Camp, where further analysis was carried out.
Town mayor Paul Keeney said: “This is a worrying development, and it is a timely reminder that we do not want to go back to the past on this island. The other matter of concern was that businesses were affected at a time when we least can afford it.
“That being said, I want to pay tribute to both the gardaí and Army for the minimal disruption that they caused in dealing with such a delicate situation.”