Explosive device found at Limerick postal depot 'made safe' by Army bomb disposal team

THE Defence Forces have confirmed a suspicious package which was discovered at the An Post Depot in Limerick this Friday morning contained a viable improvised explosive device.

The alarm was raised shortly after 6am when the plastic envelope was discovered by a worker at the National Mail Returns Centre on the Dock Road. The device did not go off and nobody was injured.

The package, gardai have revealed, was posted earlier this month to an address at Charing Cross, The Strand, London.

After the alarm was raised, the building and surrounding area were evacuated for a number of hours as a precaution.

Following a request from gardai, an Army Bomb Disposal Team was dispatched from Cork and arrived at the scene shortly before 10am.

“On arrival a cordon was established and the building was evacuated for the duration of the operation. A viable improvised explosive device contained in a plastic envelope was identified and made safe. The device was then handed over to An Garda Síochana for further investigation and the scene was declared safe,” said a Defence Forces spokesperson. 

#WATCH The @dfpo EOD team has left the An Post sorting depot where a suspicious package was discovered this morning. Gardai say the package has been removed for further examination. Full details shortly at https://t.co/CBUIPigLvK @Limerick_Leader pic.twitter.com/ysYibvGMNz

— David Hurley (@DHurleyLL) March 22, 2019

Workers were cleared to return to the depot shortly before midday.

The discovery of the package has been linked to recent similar incidents in London and Glasgow and gardai say they will be liasing with their counterparts in the UK.