This article is from page 4 of the 2009-06-30 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
THREE men arrested in connection with a grenade attack on a home in Ennis over two weeks ago have been released without charge.
Christopher and Julie Ann McDon- agh and their six children were asleep upstairs in their home on Childers’
Road in Cloughleigh shortly after 4am on Saturday, June 13, when a live hand grenade was thrown through a glass panel at the front of the house. The army explosive ordnance dis- posal team was brought in to deal with the device. A controlled explo- sion was carried out on the device at a nearby quarry. The grenade was
live, but was faulty and did not deto- ateltep
Gardai say the incident was part of an ongoing feud in the town, but those living in the house say they are not involved in any feud.
The arrests were made as part of a major garda investigation into this incident. ‘Two men – aged 26 and 30
– were arrested in Ennis last Wednes- day morning, while the third – aged 35 – was arrested on Friday morning. All three were questioned at length, before being released without charge. A file will now be prepared by inves- tigators for the DPP, who will then decide if charges are to be brought.
The men were detained under Sec- tion 30 of the Offences Against The State Act, which gave gardai 48 hours to question them. Gardai were granted an extension of 24 hours in each case, by a district judge at two separate hearings – one on Thursday evening and the other on Sunday morning.
Gardai are also investigating a number of other incidents in the town in recent weeks. Windows of a house on John Paul Avenue and a car parked outside the house were bro- ken last Thursday evening.
The investigation into the grenade attack has been intense. Gardai have carried out house to house enquiries, while several statements have been taken, while examinations have been carried out.
Superintendent John Scanlan, who is heading up the enquiry, said, “The investigation 1s ongoing at pace.”
He told