Ms O’Dwyer and [broken link removed] alerted gardaí by phone and gardaí from Thurles some 22kms away arrived within 20 minutes. Before that, and on suspicion the gang were from Dublin, Garda personnel in the region were told to monitor the roads towards the capital.
At about 4.30am gardaí on the N7 just south of [broken link removed] forced to a stop a car carrying five men. They were arrested and taken to Garda stations in Kildare, Newbridge and Naas.
Gardaí believe the two other men in the stolen 4X4 had hidden off the roads to delay their drive back to Dublin until commuter traffic had built up. “It looks like they were trying to hide from us in the morning rush hour,” said one source.
A van driver who knows Mr Corcoran and [broken link removed] spotted their stolen car not far from Portlaoise and alerted gardaí.
With gardaí already on alert in the area, the 4X4 was soon spotted and covertly followed by a Garda team – including members of the organised crime unit and emergency response unit.
Heavy traffic
When it ran into heavy traffic at Newlands Cross beside Bewley’s Hotel on the edge of the city, gardaí moved in. They rammed the 4X4, forcing it off the road before armed detectives on foot pulled the suspects from the vehicle. Some €1,300 in cash and jewellery stolen in the robbery hours earlier was recovered from the vehicle, along with two shotguns.