A gang held a Dublin family hostage in an armed raid a during which 14 guns were stolen yesterday.
The owner of the house, a registered firearms dealer, his wife and son were woken in their beds at their home in the Coney Hill area of Balbriggan at 1.20 a.m. by the gang of four men. Gardaí at Balbriggan are investigating the robbery and believe the gang raided the dealer's house specifically for the firearms. The dealer has been in the business for some time say gardaí. Garda sources said it was "a possibility" that the gang had connections with dissident IRA figures.
A gun was held to the man's head and he was ordered to turn off the house alarm.
The gang, all wearing balaclavas, manhandled the family into a room where they tied them up and locked them in.
The raiders took the 14 shotguns, a four-figure sum of cash and jewellery.
They escaped in the family's black four wheel drive vehicle, registration number 02 D 36627.
The family managed to free themselves eventually and broke out of the room at 3.45 a.m. to raise the alarm.
"It was a job well-organised" said Det Supt Michael Hoare.
"The family are badly traumatised and shook up after their ordeal. They were held for a good hour, maybe two" he said.
The house was sealed off and a team from the Garda Technical Bureau spent yesterday inspecting it.