Arrest after official buildings rammed in Dublin
Significant damage was caused to a number of the gates at Government Buildings
- Published
Security gates have been rammed outside several Irish government and state-owned buildings in Dublin.
The sites affected included gates outside the Oireachtas (Irish Parliament), the Irish president's official residence in Phoenix Park and the Customs House.
Gardaí (Irish police) said a man in his 40s was detained on suspicion of traffic offences after a crash on Merrion Street Upper, which is near the parliament.
They said they were investigating the incidents as road traffic collisions and "criminal damage".
Dublin's Phoenix Park is home to the official residence of the president of Ireland
'Suspected drink-driving'
It has not yet been officially confirmed if all the incidents are linked but the gates were all damaged during the early hours of Friday morning.
Irish broadcaster RTÉ has reported that at least three sets of gates at Government Buildings, on Upper Merrion Street, were damaged.
It said a white transit van, suspected to be involved in the incidents, was towed away from Government Buildings.
According to RTÉ, the man was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving and he is "known to gardaí for drug-related and other offences".
Photos show damage to the security gates outside the Department of the Taoiseach (Irish PM).
Gates at the near-by Office of the Attorney General were taken off their hinges and had to be removed.
Gates at the rear entrance to Leinster House - home to the parliament- were also damaged but they have since reopened
Man 'lying face down'
Ray Shah said he saw a man in a red "onesie" outfit surrounded by gardaí
Eyewitness Ray Shah was taking his usual route home from his Thursday night DJ set when he spotted a white van up against the gates of the Department of the Taoiseach.
He told BBC News NI he saw a man lying face down beside the van, surrounded by gardaí about 02:40 local time.
He parked a short distance away and got out to take some photos from the other side of the street.
"I didn't know what was going on," Mr Shah said.
"The police were telling him to get down and stay down."
He added that he could not make out exactly what the man was saying, but he believed he spoke with an Irish accent.
The DJ said the arrested man appeared to be wearing a red "onesie" outfit.
He also noticed that the rear bumper of the van was "completely off".
Gardaí are being assisted by the Military Police
Members of the Irish Defence Force's Military Police attended the scene in Upper Merrion Street to assist the garda operation.
The Custom House, which is less than a mile away from Government Buildings, reportedly sustained minimal damage.
The building, on Custom House Quay, contains the headquarters of the Department of Housing.