Man arrested following dramatic chase on busy Irish motorway after gun alert sparks panic

A man in his 20s has been arrested after a dramatic Garda pursuit on a busy Irish motorway ended with the recovery of an imitation firearm.

The incident began shortly before 9am on Saturday after gardaí received reports of a motorist travelling on the M4 with what was believed to be a gun.

The high-speed pursuit began after reports of a man with a suspected weapon travelling on the motorway near Kilcock in County Kildare.

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The chase came to an end when the vehicle was stopped in the Tallaght area of Dublin.

In a statement, gardaí confirmed that "the vehicle concerned was located by Gardaí and following a lengthy managed containment operation, the vehicle and motorist were intercepted in the Tallaght area shortly after 10.30am."

The driver, who was the sole occupant of the car, was arrested at the scene and is being detained under Section 30 of the Offences against the State Act, 1939, at a Garda station in County Kildare.

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An imitation firearm was recovered, and gardaí said "minor damage was caused to two Garda vehicles in the course of the incident" but that "no one required immediate medical attention".

Gardaí have confirmed that investigations are ongoing.