TWO BOMBS found at a house in Co Limerick yesterday posed a “substantial risk” to public safety, a member of the Defence Forces said.
One of the devices, believed to be a pipe bomb, exploded while the second failed to detonate after they were thrown into a house in Rathkeale at about 4.30am.
Emergency services were responding to a 999 call-out regarding a fire at the house in the Ballywilliam estate when the bombs were discovered.
Residents in the area were evacuated and the Army bomb disposal unit was notified.
Nobody was injured in the incident but the owner of the house, a woman in her 50s, and a number of other people were present at the time of the attack.
The unexploded device was made safe and handed over to gardaí for their investigation, while a post-blast analysis was also conducted at the site of the explosion.
Minor damage was caused to the front door of the house. The scene was declared safe at 9am yesterday.
Comdt Neil Nolan of the Defence Forces said the bombs could have caused serious harm.
“Both of these devices posed a substantial threat to public safety, and had people been in the wrong place at the wrong time we could be looking at serious injuries or even worse at this stage,” he said.
Investigating gardaí are still seeking a motive for the attack and sources have not ruled out the possibility that it may be linked to a shooting at a caravan on Roches Road in Rathkeale town on Christmas Day.
Nobody was injured in this incident, which occurred at 6am, but the roof of the caravan was damaged in the shooting.
There have been no arrests yet in connection with either incident and anyone with information is asked to contact Askeaton Garda station on 061-601630.