Garda technical experts will today examine the scene of an attempted raid outside Ashford, Co Wicklow, where one man died yesterday.
The attempted robbery of a Securicor van by a dissident republican group thought by gardai to be the Continuity IRA, began shortly after 5 p.m. yesterday on the busy N11 road to Wicklow and Wexford. The cash-in-transit security van was travelling towards Dublin when it was stopped by a blue Ford van drawn across a narrow section of the road about 2 1/2 miles on the Dublin side of Ashford village.
Supt John Farrelly, of the Garda Press Office, told journalists six men, some of them armed, got out of the van and a Toyota car in which they were travelling, and approached the security van. They broke a window but before they could get any further, they were interrupted by armed gardai, members of the Emergency Response Unit.
The gardai had been "following the movements of certain individuals" as part of an ongoing operation, he said, and were on the scene almost immediately.
The men ran up the road attempting to hijack some of the cars travelling towards the southeast. They included a minibus taking handicapped children away for the weekend. None of the hijack attempts were successful, but the cars are being held at the scene for forensic examination. Supt Farrelly said some of the men opened fire on gardai who returned fire. During the exchange, one man, in his 20s and who came from Dublin, was fatally injured. He received medical attention, but died at the scene. A handgun was recovered near his body.
The five other men took to the heavily-wooded hills beside the road; but were overpowered by members of the Garda National Surveillance Unit and Emergency Response Unit and local gardai. They were arrested under Section 30 of the Offences Against The State Act and are being held in Bray and Shankill Garda stations. All are in their 20s and 30s with addresses in the Dublin area.
In follow-up searches a number of guns were found including an AK47, a pump-action shotgun, and two handguns along with an improvised rocket launcher. There will be further searches of the area today and tomorrow and the road is likely to be closed for most of the weekend. The scene is also being preserved for technical and forensic examination.
The motorists caught up in the raid were taken away by gardaI and are being advised to seek treatment for trauma, according to Supt Farrelly. The body of the man who died remained at the scene until the Assistant State Pathologist, Dr Marie Cassidy, arrived at about 9.15 p.m. After examination it was taken to Loughlinstown Hospital. The name of the dead man will not be released until his family have identified the body.
The five arrested men are expected to be held for at least 48 hours for questioning.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, said on the Late Late Show last night that the garda operation was an excellent job in all the circumstances.
Republic splinter group trying to undermine peace process: page 5; Eyewitness accounts of the shooting: page 5