Renewed appeal for information following discovery of explosive device at Limerick postal depot

GARDAI have renewed their appeal for information following the discovery of an explosive device in a package which was returned to the An Post sorting depot in Limerick earlier this year.

The alarm was raised shortly after 6am on March 22 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 which was posted at the beginning of March to an address at Charing Cross, The Strand, London, has been formally linked to four others which were posted to tranport hubs in London and Glasgow.

All five packages were posted from Ireland and the New IRA has claimed responsibility.

Workers at the An Post depot in Limerick were evacuated from the premises as a precaution and the device was made safe by an Army EOD team which attended the depot.

In a statement, issued this Wednesday morning, gardai confirmed they are jointly investigating the posting of the devices, in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police Service Counter Terrorism Command, Police Scotland, and the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

“This extremely dangerous and reckless act endangered the lives of innocent persons and could have caused serious harm to anyone handling these devices,” said a spokesperson.

Gardaí investigating the posting of five parcel IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) in March 2019 are appealing for information. Of the 5 parcels posted in Ireland, 4 were delivered in the UK. For further details see - https://t.co/CK34EU0em1 pic.twitter.com/oRaguO3nD2

— Garda Info (@gardainfo) May 29, 2019

“An Garda Síochána thanks the public and in particular postal workers who have provided information to date which has been of benefit to the investigation.  Further to these ongoing enquiries, it is still possible that members of the public may have information that could help us with our joint investigation and An Garda Síochána want to identify any person, postal workers or other persons, in Ireland who may remember collecting/ seeing the parcels around 1st March 2019 from postal delivery locations within Ireland,” added the statement.

While forensic evidence has been recovered, gardai say investigators are keen to eliminate any person who may have innocently come in to contact with the parcels.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police have also issued a fresh appeal for information.

“Our enquiries continue, but clearly a key element of the investigation now is the link between the devices previously sent in 2014, and the five sent earlier this year. As with any investigation, we will be led by the evidence, but at this stage, our principal line of enquiry is that the devices were sent by a violent dissident republican group,” said Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dean Haydon.

Police are appealing for anyone who may have information about the origins of devices sent through post - or postal workers and others who may have handled them - to come forward and help them with their enquiries https://t.co/QmT2pfTYIU pic.twitter.com/dRvfJPTdSl

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) May 29, 2019

If any member of the public has any information that they think might assist the investigation they are asked to contact the Garda Síochána Confidential Number 1800 666 111, or the Crimestoppers Number 1800 25 00 25.