Gardai suspect Traveller gang may be behind pipe bomb attack on house

Investigators at the scene of the suspected pipe bomb attack

Conor Feehan

A pipe bomb attack on a Clonshaugh house - in which a terrified woman and two young men escaped injury - may have been carried out by a Traveller crime gang from Finglas, gardai believe.

The incident happened on Clonshaugh Drive at around 7pm on Monday, when a crude but viable bomb was thrown at the home's front window.

The window shattered on impact and the pipe bomb fell to the ground and exploded in the front garden.

The shock wave from the blast caused burglar alarms on the street to be triggered, and many homes were evacuated by gardai until the Army bomb squad arrived and made the area safe again.

Bang

"It was a very loud bang that shook the street. God knows what it would have been like if the bomb went off in the house," said one neighbour.

"I don't know why that house was targeted. There was never trouble there before."

The innocent occupants of the house were not injured, but sources say the device could have proved deadly if it had gone off inside the property.

"It bounced off the window and exploded in the garden, but if it had gone through the window it could have caused injuries or worse," a source said.

Sources say the intended target is not known to gardai and is believed to be a man who works on the northside of Dublin for a living.

Scorch marks could be seen on the ground at the front of the house after the blast, and the main window in the living room was shattered.

The scene remained sealed off yesterday morning and was examined by members of the Garda Technical Bureau, who photographed the scene and searched the front garden for forensic evidence.

Gardai in Coolock are investigating the incident.