Drone drops pipe bomb into innocent Dublin man's garden as gang war fears grow
At the same time that the drone pipe-bomb incident occurred, a property connected to an associate of the target was subject to an arson attack
Army bomb-disposal robot on a street near the scene where the pipe bomb was discovered
An innocent man used guttering to remove a viable pipe bomb from his front garden after it was delivered by a drone to his property by mistake.
The incident happened at around 9pm on Sunday evening when the bomb was sent to target a teenage gang member who is at the centre of a new gangland feud in Finglas.
At roughly the same time that the drone pipe-bomb incident occurred, a property connected to an associate of the target was subject to an arson attack.
It led to around 10 houses being evacuated in the Glenties Park area of the suburb as Army bomb-disposal experts dealt with the device.
Army bomb-disposal robot on a street near the scene where the pipe bomb was discovered
The target of the drone pipe-bomb attack is also suspected of being involved in a shooting incident over the weekend in Finglas in which shots were discharged but no one was injured.
The army bomb disposal unit arrived at 2am. It took around three hours for the situation to be resolved.
The Army carried out a controlled explosion on the viable bomb and the innocent families were then allowed return to their homes at around 5am.
The intended target is a very young man who has been running amok
'The bomb landed in the wrong garden and the occupants of that home have absolutely nothing to do with crime,' a source said.
'The intended target is a very young man who has been running amok – he has aligned himself with a criminal who is linked with the Hutch gang. These individuals are involved in shooting incidents, which included letting a shot off near shops in the area on Saturday evening.
'He is completely out of control and is attempting to become the main man in the area in terms of street-level crack-cocaine dealing.
'While the issue of drones delivering contraband including weapons and drugs into the prisons has been well highlighted, this is the first time that gardaí have come across a situation like this – it is beyond concerning.'
He cannot be named here for legal reasons, but a close older associate of the young man is due to be tried on attempted murder charges in the coming weeks.
The teenager was mentored by this veteran criminal, who is serving a lengthy prison sentence in relation to an aggravated burglary on the capital's southside in which a family were terrorised.
It is the first time gardaí have seen a drone used for such as purpose. Stock image. Photo: Getty
The young man is a sworn enemy of the 'Mr Flashy' drugs gang but gardaí do not believe this dispute has anything to do with jailed Glen Ward or his associates.
Instead, the feud the teenager is involved in, is with the criminal who has taken over the gang that was led by Glen Ward, known as 'Mr Flashy'.
The pipe-bomb target has had run-ins with the high-profile but now almost-defunct drugs gang, including when he was attacked with a wheel brace, hammer and golf club in 2022.
After the assault, the then teenager was rushed to Children's Health Ireland Hospital at Temple Street but was discharged after a number of days.
He suffered a fractured eye socket and broken nose, along with other injuries.
Army bomb-disposal robot on a street near the scene where the pipe bomb was discovered
Today's News in 90 Seconds - May 5th
The background to this vicious assault – which led to a spate of gun attacks and other tit-for-tat violence in 2022 and 2023 – was when the teenager stole a high-end watch from Mr Flashy's brother, Eric O'Driscoll, and then goaded the gangster by displaying photos of it on social media.
O'Driscoll and Ward are currently serving significant sentences for firearms offences following high-profile sentencing hearings at the Special Criminal Court.
There are now fears of yet more revenge attacks and the target of the drone pipe-bomb attack is now understood to be in hiding.
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