RAIDERS ESCAPED with a sum of money and a security worker was injured in a raid on a cash-in-transit van in north Dublin yesterday.
The raid took place at a branch of Ulster Bank near the Coachman's Inn, a short distance from Dublin airport, and beside the Fingal Golf Centre in Cloghran, Swords.
A Group 4 Securicor (G4S) van pulled up to make a delivery just before 10am.
Two men, one armed with what was believed to be a handgun and a second man armed with a shotgun, accosted the security staff, gardaí said.
Sgt Noel Nolan of Dublin airport Garda station said the raiders escaped with a quantity of cash but he would not confirm the amount.
G4S dismissed some media reports that a large amount of cash was taken and said it was "a small fraction" of the €100,000 reported.
Witnesses said shots were fired during the raid although Sgt Nolan said yesterday this had not been confirmed by gardaí.
G4S also said "a number of shots" were fired and that one of its employees was assaulted and suffered some injuries, but it was not clear whether these were as a result of gunfire. The Garda press office said the individual received hand injuries.
The raiders made their getaway on a motorbike driven by a third man.
Gardaí confirmed all three individuals appeared to have escaped on the vehicle.
A black Audi car, which Sgt Nolan said may also have been connected with the raid, was removed from the scene on a recovery vehicle, accompanied by an unmarked Garda car.
"We believe it may be connected but we have to wait and see at this time," he said.
Sgt Nolan said gardaí were not following a definite line of inquiry.
"We are keeping an open mind on the investigation," he said.
He appealed for anyone who may have witnessed the incident or who may have any information to contact gardaí at Santry, or at the incident room in Ballymun.
"Our key concern in respect of this incident, as in any similar incident, is for the safety and wellbeing of our staff," a spokeswoman for G4S said. "A number of shots were fired during this incident, and one of our staff was assaulted and suffered some injuries.
"Reports that a large sum of money (some media were claiming the amount was in excess of €100,000) are absolutely untrue. The amount of money stolen was a small fraction of that amount."
There were customers in the bank when the raid took place and gardaí interviewed staff and witnesses yesterday.
Two G4S cash vans were still outside the bank at 11.50am, one of them backed up to the entrance. Both were driven away after they had been examined by gardaí.
Detectives wearing navy Garda jackets and plastic gloves could be seen inside the bank speaking to people.
A sign on the window said the branch would be closed for the rest of the day and it redirected customers to Swords.
Last month, an armed gang held up a G4S cash-in-transit van at an Ulster Bank branch in Killiney, south Dublin.