LAST UPDATE | 3 Jul 2019

A SUSPECTED PETROL bomb attack on a house in Drogheda, Co Louth, this morning is believed to be linked to the ongoing feud in town.

The incident occurred at about 5.10am in the Rathmullen Park area. Two people who were inside the house at the time were uninjured.

Gardaí said there was “significant damage to the premises”. No arrests have been made and investigations are ongoing.

In a statement, gardaí said a person wearing dark clothing was reportedly seen running from the area at the time of the incident.

They appealed for anyone who was in the vicinity of Rathmullen Park between 4.30am and 6am, and may have seen suspicious activity, to contact Drogheda Garda Station on 041 987 4200 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.

They encouraged anyone involved in milk deliveries or bin collections who may have been working in the area to come forward.

Extra gardaí 

At least 25 additional gardaí are being drafted in to police the region due to the resurgence of violence in the Louth area in the last six months. There have been a number of other serious incidents of violence in the town – most recently a gun attack on a man on 21 June.

There is concern that violence will flare up again after one of the gang leaders issued threats to a number of criminal rivals since his release from prison.

The feud began in July last year, when Owen Maguire was shot and wounded a number of times at his home on Cement Road. Since the shooting, two gangs have been exchanging tit-for-tat attacks – mainly in the form of firing shots at people’s homes.

Violence erupted again in November between the two gangs. 

Additional garda resources and armed-response units have been deployed to the Louth region as a result of the upsurge of violence.

- With reporting by Garreth MacNamee, Michelle Hennessy and Órla Ryan