Seven men arrested in relation to an aggravated burglary in Co Tipperary in which a family were threatened with weapons in their home have had their period of detention extended.
Gardaí applied yesterday evening to have the length of time the men can be questioned extended into today following the arrests on Thursday morning.
The application was made under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act.
Judge Terence Finn granted the extension at a special sitting of Cashel District Court.
The men can be held until later today before they will have to be charged, released or have their detention time further extended.
The arrests followed an aggravated burglary in the early hours of Thursday morning near the village of Killenaule. A gang armed with two shotguns, crowbars and knives forced their way into the home of Mark Corcoran and Emma O’Dwyer and their three young children.
Five of the gang escaped in a car that had been stolen in Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny, but were arrested at about 4.30am near Portlaoise. Two other members of the gang drove away in the family’s car but were arrested by gardaí near Newlands Cross in Dublin.