Parcel bomb sent to Irish post depot ‘identical’ to devices found in UK

A parcel bomb found at an Irish postal depot appears identical to a series of devices sent to Great Britain, police in Ireland have said.

Garda called army bomb disposal experts to the postal sorting office in Limerick yesterday morning after the suspicious package was discovered.

The defence forces later confirmed a “viable improvised explosive device” had been found contained in a plastic envelope.

Irish justice minister Charlie Flanagan said a stamp on the package found in the An Post depot on Dock Road in the city was similar to those used on letter bombs sent to the UK earlier this month.

He added: “This is a despicable act. The sending of incendiary devices like this is totally unacceptable. I hope the people responsible are brought to justice.”

A spokesman for the defence forces said: “A viable improvised explosive device contained in a plastic envelope was identified and made safe. The device was then handed over to An Garda Siochana for further investigation.”

A group calling itself the IRA has claimed responsibility for parcel bombs sent to major transport hubs in London and the University of Glasgow.

The organisation, known to police as the New IRA, claimed one parcel addressed to a British Army recruitment officer may not have been discovered yet. The group said it posted five devices to addresses in Britain, however only four had been discovered at the time the claim of responsibility was sent to a Belfast newsroom.

Mr Flanagan said the item found in Limerick could be the fifth. “We have reason to believe this could be the case,” he said.

No-one was injured in any of the incidents in Britain.