A suspected thief was caught covered in dye after a bungled effort at robbing a cash-in-transit van on Friday.
The foiled attempt occurred in Dublin’s south inner city at about 6.15am.
The man was armed with a hammer and approached security employees at a cash machine in Cornmarket demanding the contents of the box which was being transported.
He fled the scene but gardaí tracked him down and arrested him nearby. All the cash was recovered.
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It is understood the suspected robber, who grabbed a cash box with about €20,000, was covered in the brightly coloured dye after activating a security cartridge inside.
A garda spokesman said a man aged in his 30s was being held at a Garda station in Dublin under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act on Friday evening.
Nobody was injured during the robbery and gardaí have appealed for witnesses with investigations ongoing.
Road users who may have camera footage while travelling in the Cornmarket area between 6am and 7am are asked to make it available to investigating gardaí.
Anyone with any information can contact Kevin Street Garda station at (01) 666 9400, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any other station.
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