Gardaí in Limerick on alert after fire-bombing of a car outside a family's home
David Raleigh
Gardaí targeting gangland groups in Limerick are on high alert as violent attacks increased around the city, including the latest attack, a fire-bombing of a car parked outside a family’s home on Wednesday.
Gardaí said their investigations were “ongoing” into the attack, which investigators suspected was linked to a bitter feud between rival groups residing on the south side of Limerick City.
The firebomb attack occurred at Kilurray Court, Garryowen, at around 1.30am, on Wednesday.
Gardaí said they were “alerted to an incident of criminal damage by fire, at a domestic residence”.
Luckily, no persons were injured in the blaze.
Garda sources, who were fearful of further attacks, said that the feud was spreading at locations across the city environs as groups engaged in “tit for tat” violence.
Armed garda units have been stepped up and were performing nightly checkpoints and patrols in flashpoint areas including at Ballinacurra Weston, Southill and parts of Garryowen.
The firebomb attack happened 48 hours after a pipe bomb was thrown at the front entrance of a house at O’Malley Park but it failed to detonate.
A Garda spokesperson said the “improvised explosive device” was “thrown at a domestic residence” at around 11.30 pm.
Gardaí appealed for “anyone who was in the O'Malley Park estate between 11 pm and 11:45 pm on Monday, or anyone with mobile phone or dash cam footage” to contact investigating gardai or “make that footage available” to Roxboro Road Garda Station (061-214340).
Garda sources said they feared persons, including children, would be seriously maimed or killed if the violent feuding continues.
In another similar attack, being linked to the feud, a pipebomb was thrown into the rear garden of a house at Hyde Road, Ballinacurra Weston, on February 2nd last.
The device exploded but no one was injured.
A further attack happened around 11 pm, January 23rd, when shots were fired at a male on Hyde Road, however, he escaped injury.
A number of the individuals involved in the feuding have close connections to the Dundon McCarthy crime group, which was responsible for the murder of a number of men in the city.
Several people are before the courts charged with serious criminal offences that gardaí suspect are connected with the current feuding.
Some people have been targeted in stabbings, drive-by gun attacks, petrol bombings and pipebomb attacks as part of the same feud over the past year and half.
Several individuals involved also have long-running links the sale and supply of drugs.
Gardaí warned that children have been near a number of violent attacks, and they warned that a child or children could easily be injured or worse if the violence continued.
A Cork-based Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit (EOD), attached to the Defence Forces, which deals with the recovery of IEDs (improvised explosive devices), has been deployed to Limerick to deal with many recent pipe-bombs linked to the feuding.
