GARDAÍ WERE last night questioning three men in their 20s after an armed raid on a shop in Fairview, Dublin, was foiled.
Three men went into the Xtravision shop at about 10pm on Sunday as staff were closing up the DVD rental outlet.
The raiders, who were armed with what is believed to be a handgun, tied up staff and attempted to gain access to a safe, a Garda spokesman said.
However, gardaí responded to an emergency call and arrived at the scene within minutes. They discovered the raiders on the premises and arrested three men. No shots were fired.
Meanwhile, detectives yesterday released three of the four people held in connection with a security van robbery in Dublin last week. The robbery took place on May 8th when two men, one of whom was believed to be armed, held up security staff as they were about to fill ATMs at the Nutgrove shopping centre in Rathfarnham.
Gardaí arrested four people - three men in their 20s and 30s and a 61-year-old woman - on Saturday during searches of three houses in the Dublin 8 area. Two handguns and a stolen van were recovered. The four were questioned at Tallaght and Rathfarnham Garda stations.
Two of the men and the woman were freed without charge overnight. A Garda spokeswoman said files would be prepared for the director of public prosecutions (DPP). The third man remained in custody last night