More than €8,000 in cash, en route to Iraq to fund a humanitarian project and provide relief to families rebuilding their lives after the war, was stolen in Dublin yesterday.
A bag containing the money, and travel documents belonging to the Irish peace activist Ms Caoimhe Butterly, was snatched by thieves as the campaigner boarded a bus on O'Connell Street.
Ms Butterly had been planning to fly to Iraq, via London, yesterday afternoon to distribute the money, €5,000 of which was raised by ten Iraqi exiles living in Ireland for their families.
A further $3,200 in donations, raised for the peace group Voices in the Wilderness, was also in the bag. This money, said Ms Butterly, was due to fund a women's project and other humanitarian work.
"It all happened in a split second," she said.
"I had one heavy bag in my hand, which I was putting on the bus and took my eye off the other bag for a moment. Some people said they thought they saw who took it. But it sounded like half of Dublin."
One witness described the thief as a young woman, who was accompanied by a middle-aged man.
Ms Butterly appealed for anyone with knowledge about the theft to come forward. "It's probably a lost cause but even if we got half back we would be happy. No questions will be asked."
The Cork woman, who works with the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign, added that in the absence of information she would set up an emergency appeal to try to replace the money before she travels to Iraq on a revised date next week.
She noted the humanitarian situation in the country was desperate at present, and that the money was urgently needed to help families through very uncertain times.
Gardaí at Store Street are investigating the theft, which took place at 4 p.m. next to the airport link bus stop on O'Connell Street.
