A man who barricaded himself into his home in Portlaoise with gas canisters and bottles of petrol ended his eight-hour stand-off peacefully yesterday evening, when he was led out of his house by the local parish priest.
Peter Murray (49), a plumber from the Cois na hAbhann estate in Portlaoise, contacted the Laois Nationalist newspaper at 10.30am yesterday, saying he had gas and petrol but "didn't want to hurt anyone".
The situation began less than 24 hours after a man who had barricaded himself into his home in Roscrea, threatening to blow himself up, ended his stand-off. The Garda Press Office described the Portlaoise event as a "copycat".
Local gardaí, Laois civil defence, Laois County Council and Portlaoise fire brigade evacuated residents from 36 neighbouring houses.