LONDON: A driver was arrested early Friday morning in Dublin after crashing his van into gates outside the home of Ireland’s president, the offices of the prime minister and the building housing parliament, police said.
Detectives questioning the suspect had ruled out terrorism as a motive.
The series of incidents occurred around 2 a.m., when government offices were closed, and no injuries were reported.
The van first rammed the fence outside the official residence of President Michael Higgins, but did not enter the grounds. The driver then traveled about 3 miles (5 kilometers) to central Dublin, where the van plowed into several gates outside two government building complexes.
Pickets in the sturdy iron fence outside the offices of Prime Minister Simon Harris were bent inward and the gate was knocked off its hinges outside the attorney general’s office.
Louise O’Reilly, a member of parliament for the Sinn Féin party, said she and other lawmakers will ask police, known as gardaí, how the incidents could have occurred.
“It’s hard to understand how someone was able to carry out these attacks in several locations in this manner,” O’Reilly told national broadcaster RTE. “We will be looking to the gardaí to provide us with information as to how this could have unfolded and how someone was able to travel to three separate locations in Dublin city before being apprehended.”
The driver, who is in his 40s, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of driving offenses. The white van he was driving was towed from the scene.
Van driver arrested after crashing into gates outside Irish prime minister’s office in Dublin
https://arab.news/87nxz
Van driver arrested after crashing into gates outside Irish prime minister’s office in Dublin
- Detectives questioning the suspect had ruled out terrorism as a motive
- The series of incidents occurred around 2 a.m., when government offices were closed, and no injuries were reported
British tourists ordered to leave India over ‘free Palestine’ stickers
- Pushkar, an ancient temple site, has lately gained popularity among Israelis
- British nationals whose visas were canceled are still in town, police say
NEW DELHI: Two British nationals have been ordered to leave India after their visas were canceled for pasting Palestine stickers in a popular temple town in the western state of Rajasthan.
Ajmer district police, who oversee Pushkar, one of the oldest Hindu pilgrimage sites, issued on Feb. 2 “leave India” notices to a British man and woman for violating tourist visa regulations “by pasting stickers against another country.”
Photos of the stickers, which were shared by the local media, read: “Free Palestine,” “Boycott Israel,” and featured the Palestinian flag.
According to the police, they were plastered at “two or three locations” in Pushkar, and on Jan. 21 a complaint was filed with the local police.
“In Pushkar lives an Israeli religious guru, and they have a prayer house. Pushkar is a tourist place and if people start indulging in such activities, then the message goes wrong,” Additional Superintendent of Police Rajesh Meena, who issued the “leave India” notice, told Arab News on Thursday.
The couple were still in Pushkar, but the police had given them a deadline to leave the country.
“They have one and a half months’ time, they have booked their return tickets, and they will leave,” Meena said.
Abhishek, a journalist in Pushkar who documented the stickers, said that the town had gained in popularity among Israeli tourists over the past few years.
“They prefer this place because of the cost-effective hostels and accommodation. In 2019, they opened a religious place for themselves, and they worship there,” he said.
“In 2019-20, they played loud music and there was resistance from the locals initially, but later on the locals adjusted.”
