Bomb Scare in Dublin

dublin | miscellaneous | news report

Wednesday May 12, 2004 18:39

by Shankar Sharma

shanks1980 at hotmail dot com

Bomb scare today, Wednesday May 12, in the heart of the capital.

Half of Middle Abbey Street was cordoned off for over an hour this afternoon, as the Garda and the army dealt with a bomb scare.

A visible Garda presence emerged on the street - currently undergoing road works - shortly after 3pm, and sealed the area adjoining O'Connell Street within half an hour. Traffic and pedestrians were demanded to take a detour while shop and office staff were requested to evacuate their work places, which were then boarded up. "I'm not too bothered, that's the afternoon off work!" quipped one shop worker.

As the Garda presence grew, a larger area of the street was cordoned off. Bystanders were urged to "Get back" as half the street - stretching up to Independent House - was sealed. Word of the 'bomb scare' quickly scattered, with barriers having to be erected on the O'Connell Street side to prevent the increasing number of onlookers from breaching the area.

The army were alerted and a bomb disposal unit duly arrived at 3.45pm. A 'suspicious package' had been left lying close to the Ladbrokes betting shop. Three soldiers in protetcive clothing gave the package a lengthy examination, before detonating it at 4.20.

The loud bang however was not accompanied by any damage. There was next to no flying debris or escaped shrapnel. It quickly emerged to all who had gathered that the incident had been a false alarm.

By 4.45, the area was re-opened to the public. A glance at the site of the 'suspicious package' revealed the contents of something little more innocuous than a spray paint can or a glue gun. The Garda offered little explanation.

"Go Away!" was the curt response