City in lockdown as gardai respond to bomb scares
THERE were three bomb scares across Dublin and Co Kildare this morning ahead of Queen Elizabeth II’s arrival in the capital.
Dublin was in lockdown with more than 10,000 gardai and troops involved in the security operation – the biggest in the history of the State.
In a statement this morning, the British Foreign Office confirmed that the queen would press ahead with her itinerary despite the discovery of a viable bomb.
The first and most serious incident occurred at Maynooth, Co Kildare, when a viable pipe bomb was found in the luggage compartment of a bus which was parked outside the Glen Royal Hotel .
There were 30 passengers and a driver on board when the device was found at 9.30pm.
The incident followed an anonymous call to gardai in Longford that a device was on board the 5.45pm Ballina, Co Mayo to Dublin bus.
The device was made safe shortly before 2am when the Army Bomb Disposal team carried out a controlled explosion.