Updated 19.05pm

A 4×4 WAS driven into the Quinn packaging plant in Cavan last night.

At around 9 pm the 4×4 went through the security fence and was set on fire.

The two men who were in the vehicle also set fire to the foyer of the building causing extensive damage.

The pair then fled the scene of the Ballyconnell plant in a black estate type car.

Emergency services were called to deal with the fire. Nobody was injured but there was extensive smoke damage.

‘Reckless’

The CEO of the packaging plant at Ballyconnell, Paul O’Brien, said that the attack was “reckless in the extreme”.

In a statement this evening, he claimed the “fire bomb vehicle” was driven into an area that is used by employees throughout the night. “It was only by good fortune that no one was injured,” he said.

He added:

I want to make it very clear to all involved that my resolve and that of my management team, the Board of our Group and our owners and investors, is only strengthened by these attacks the most recent of which are designed to prevent the sale of any of the Group’s assets.

We have a clear objective to protect, maximise and, over time, realise the value in the businesses for our owners; we will not be deterred from this objective.

He said that the strategy of those that carried out the attack is to  strike fear into employees and to “discourage any genuine prospective acquirers of our businesses”.

Government

O’Brien said that the group are planning to meet the Governments, north and south of the border, to “agree on measures to stop these attacks and to bring the perpetrators and, more importantly, their sponsors, to justice”.

He added that “the international investment world an impression of lawlessness is being created by these attacks which has the potential to have serious negative impact for the island as a whole and the border region in particular”.

He concluded by stating that the attack last night was on the employees – “on their lives and livelihoods – and on the local community”.

Gardaí  are investigating the attack and are appealing for the public to come forward with any information.

No arrests have yet been made.

This is the latest attack on premises previously owned by Seán Quinn.

Additional reporting Christina Finn. Originally published 8.45am.

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