A hoax bomb that sparked the evacuation of 2,000 people in Dublin city centre early yesterday had been so elaborately constructed that bomb disposal experts believed it was a real bomb.
It was only found to be harmless after the device was detonated remotely by an Army robot. "It had all the appearance of a viable device," said Defence Forces spokesman Capt Feargal Purcell.
The device consisted of a timer connected by wires to two boxes filled with white powder.
"It appeared to contain a significant amount of explosive material," said Capt Purcell.
The device was placed outside the front entrance of the Clifton Court Hotel on Eden Quay, between O'Connell Bridge and Butt Bridge. Gardaí were alerted by a 999 call at 11.15pm on Saturday, and they began evacuating the quay four minutes later.
Approximately 50 guests at the Clifton Court Hotel were forced to leave their rooms as gardaí cleared people from the bus stops and pubs along Eden Quay. The quay was cleared between O'Connell Street and Liberty Hall.
English tourists Rachel Pipe and Mark Wale had been out on Saturday night and couldn't get back to their room at the Clifton Court Hotel. "They let us into a hotel down the road and they gave us a free glass of lemonade," said Mr Wale. "It's our first time in Dublin," said Ms Pipe. "Does this happen a lot?"
The Army was notified at midnight, said Capt Purcell, and the explosive ordinance disposal team was on the scene within 30 minutes.
A senior officer examined the device and decided it was too risky to handle.
It was remotely detonated just after 1am.