LYRE KIDNAP DRAMA

Man bundled into car in Tralee saved on Stacks Mountain

GARDAÍ in Tralee are seeking witnesses to a kidnapping incident in the town last week.

At approximately 7.15pm on Monday, September 24, a young man, understood to be in his late teens or early twenties, was walking along John Joe Sheehy Road in Tralee when a car pulled up alongside him.

Two men emerged from the vehicle, a white Ford estate, and the young man was threatened before being forcibly bundled into the car.

The car then sped off, heading northward in the direction of Stacks Mountain. Approximately 30 minutes later in Lyreacrompane – some 22 kilometres from Tralee – the victim was able to escape from the car and flee from his abductors. He was aided by a member of the public who came across the panicked young man at Dan Paddy Andy Cross and who alerted gardaí.

The man was then brought back to Tralee where he outlined his experience to gardaí.

The kidnappers – who were both known to the victim – have since been tracked down and arrested. The pair, who are understood to also be from the Tralee area, were questioned at Tralee Garda Station and released without charge. A file is currently being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The young man was said to be extremely shaken after his ordeal and the exact motive behind the violent abduction remains unclear.

While arrests have been made – and a direct line of enquiry is being followed – gardaí are continuing to investigate the matter.

Gardaí have asked anyone who witnessed the incident in Tralee or in the Lyreacrompane and Stacks Mountain area to contact them with any information.