A huge anti-terror alert was sparked in Dublin today after a man from Slovakia unwittingly brought explosives into the country which had been planted in his bags by Slovak security officials.
The failed security exercise began in Bratislava airport at the weekend when authorities planted eight explosive devices in the baggage of unsuspecting passengers.
Airport security in Slovakia detected seven of the devices but the eighth was put in bags belonging to a Slovakian electrician who flew on to Dublin with the explosive, RDX.
Slovakian security officials only alerted the Irish police today and police are furious that they were not notified about this sooner.
The 49-year-old man was returning from his Christmas vacation in Slovakia when security chiefs there randomly picked him out as a guinea pig.
He passed through the security clearing area and boarded his flight to Dublin unaware that he was carrying explosives in his baggage.
Police in Bratislava notified their Irish counterparts today that the man could be carrying explosives.
Gardai sealed off the area around the man's apartment in Dorset Street and evacuated neighboring homes while they searched for the RDX.
The man was arrested at the scene but he will not face charges as the police are satisfied that he was an unwitting participant.
The Slovakian Minister for the Interior has said his Government is profoundly sorry about the incident.
However, Justice Minister Dermot Ahern said he was concerned about the fact that the gardaí were not alerted for three days and has asked for a full report.
5 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.QUEY0227 | Jan 07, 2010, 08:59 AM EST
I agree that if you stop the violence you will stop the hatred,but how do you do that??? I will never understand the hatred. If you don't like your life ,get off your ___, and do something about it. The world does not owe you a living, and we cannot be one religion. Live and let live. That will never happen, as long as we all have corrupt Government.
jimmy12003 | Jan 06, 2010, 06:01 PM EST
listen everyone! the next time you are in dublin airport, just stop and take a good look around! you will see, you are dealing with fuc-king idi-ots! they are like the irish so called police force, that couldnt track an elephants footprints in snow! you would want to see the amount of free loaders that arrive here everyday from banana land! no speak the english, but know where to go to sign up for benifits! they walk straight through without being checked! ive often walked through security in this airport behind some of them and seen them just wave some ruffed up piece of paper and say me no english and get waved on! its no wonder you can carry a bomb through!
beachline | Jan 06, 2010, 09:47 AM EST
Chesapeake said it succinctly--we are our own worst enemy. I hope Roger Cole of PANA read this article--since he is the loudmouth railing against NATO troops resting at Shannon Airport while the planes are refueled.
chesapeake | Jan 06, 2010, 09:20 AM EST
we have met the enemy... and it is us!
shirleyo | Jan 05, 2010, 06:37 PM EST
My thoughts are cynical. Terrorists in many places plan devious ways to harm,every hour,day, month and year. What and who they have on their side are radicals who creatively come up with ideas naive governments can't conceive of. This doesn't mean governments should stop trying to prevent, but we should understand that over time, innocent citizens will be killed by some unimaginable means. Thus is inexplicable hatred around the world. Stop the hatred, stop the violence.