The Garda Special Detective Unit (SDU) is assessing the suspected hoax threat issued to the Garda Commissioner’s office last Thursday
Gardai clearing protesters from O’Connell Street(Image: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos)
Gardai are investigating a bizarre threat claiming a Garda station would be blown up if officers became ‘heavy-handed’ with fuel protestors.
The Garda Special Detective Unit (SDU) is assessing the suspected hoax threat issued to the Garda Commissioner’s office last Thursday.Sources say Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly’s office were alerted to a threat claiming that a bomb had been planted at an unnamed Garda station somewhere in the country.The threat alleged that the bomb would only be detonated if officers were “heavy handed” with protestors who had blockaded Dublin’s O’Connell Street and several other areas, including the Galway docks and the Whitegate oil refinery in Cork.The threat was made by an alleged group that is not known to gardaí – sparking suspicions that it was an elaborate hoax. However, given the unprecedented protests which ultimately saw gardaí deployed in an “exceptional” event, the threat is to be assessed by the SDU – which is the force’s anti-terror unit.
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly issued his statement on Monday. Photo: Cillian Sherlock/PA Wire(Image: Cillian Sherlock/PA Wire)
Sources say that while gardaí do suspect the threat was not real, there is an increasing concern about the existence of new vigilante groups who take it upon themselves to carry out acts of violence – and have shown the ability to access real firepower.
It comes as some 1,500 gardaí took part in three major operations in O’Connell Street, Galway docks and the Whitegate oil refinery in East Cork – between Saturday and Sunday.
That is around 10 per cent of the entire 14,400 force – but a much higher percentage of the uniformed branch, who made up the bulk of the operation.The massive operation – codenamed Plain Porch and which started on Friday night when Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly declared a so-called exceptional event that allowed him to cancel leave and rest days in the force – was organised and implemented in less than 24 hours.
Gardai preparing to ‘clear’ protestors on O’Connell Street in Dublin(Image: X/GardaTraffic)
On Monday Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly issued a message to gardaí across the country who were drafted in to the major operation at a moment’s notice.
He told officers that they did their job “with great professionalism and dedication,” as he thanked them for their service amid what was “really difficult situations many of you have been faced with.” “Thanks to your efforts we have broken the illegal blockades which were interfering with access to our critical national infrastructure. This has meant that our emergency services, hospital and fuel supply network were able to continue to operate,” he said.
Garda watch protesters on O’Connell Street in Dublin on the sixth day of a National Fuel Protest against rising fuel prices. Around 600 of the 1,500 filling stations around the Republic of Ireland have run dry, according to an industry representative. Picture date: Saturday April 11, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Niall Carson/PA Wire
“I also want to thank you for responding to our calls for additional personnel needed to deal with this situation. Again, I appreciate many of you made personal sacrifices to answer this call to duty. Your Representative Associations are to be complimented for the level of co-operation that they have provided during this unprecedented period,” he continued.
The Commissioner also addressed threats made online to gardaí. “I am concerned to hear about attempts in person and online to threaten and intimidate gardaí who are engaged in their lawful work. I have viewed some of this online material myself and have been absolutely appalled by it. This will not be tolerated and will be fully investigated with the aim of bringing those involved to justice,” he said.
There were several arrests amid the major garda operation over the weekend. Gardaí from all over Ireland were deployed at short notice for the operations in Galway, Dublin and Cork – and some officers drove hundreds of kilometres to get the locations they were ordered to police. The Galway operation, which began at around 8am on Sunday, took some 200 gardaí, sources said.And as well as the 500 gardaí involved in the Sunday morning operation, a further 400 were deployed on Friday and Saturday. There was still a heavy Garda presence in all three locations on Sunday evening, but the protests in each site had been ended.
Handout video grab issued by An Garda Siochana of a Defence Forces heavy-lift recovery truck during a major operation involving scores of gardai, where large tractors that had been blocking the entrance to the Whitegate oil refinery in Co Cork were moved and fuel tankers were once again able to access the site. (Image: An Garda Siochana/PA Wire )
Ronan Slevin, GRA General Secretary, told the Irish Mirror: We are extremely concerned by these vile threats against members and the attempts by certain individuals to intimidate our colleagues online by disclosing private information and circulating falsified material in a manner that is not only distasteful and offensive, but are criminal acts.
“We at the GRA raised this with the Garda Commissioner and his Management Team and are satisfied with his assurance that these matters are being vigorously investigated, and we expect those responsible to be pursued and charged in the weeks ahead.
“We recognise that every Irish citizen has the right to peaceful protest, but we fear that some of these lawful protests have been infiltrated and taken advantage of by certain far right or criminal elements. They should never be allowed to prevail.
“Our members are simply doing their jobs to uphold law and protect the wider public and will continue to do so.”
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