A ‘VIABLE’ bomb found near a Russian-owned alumina refinery in Ireland is being probed by gardai who are investigating whether it was a direct reaction to Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine.
On last Thursday night and into Friday, Russia launched its largest-ever aerial bombardment on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv since invading the country in February 2022.
Russian-owned Aughnish Alumina refinery is located in Co Limerick[/caption]
It’s understood that up to 100 staff at the Rusal-owned Aughinish refinery were unable to leave the plant[/caption]
On Friday afternoon a bomb was discovered attached to a fuel tank that services the Russian-owned Aughnish Alumina refinery sports and social club building, located close to the Shannon-estuary towns of Foynes and Askeaton in Co Limerick.
A spokesman for the Irish Defence Forces confirmed the bomb was “viable”, meaning it was capable of detonating and causing injuries or death.
The bomb is believed to have included a battery-timed mechanism so that it could be detonated long after the perpetrators had left the area.
It’s understood that up to 100 staff at the Rusal-owned Aughinish refinery were unable to leave the plant while a 350-metre security cordon was in place at the scene for several hours between Friday night and Saturday morning.
Security sources said CCTV will play a huge role in the ongoing investigation in attempting to discover who was behind the bomb threat.
A source said investigating gardai were examining one of many lines of enquiry, including the possibility that the bomb may have been a direct response to Russian missile attacks in Kyiv, last Thursday night.
While the Aughinish Alumina plant has no direct link to Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, it is owned by Russian aluminium giant Rusal, and one of its significant shareholders is Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, a close associate of the Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his largest-ever aerial bombardment on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv last Thursday[/caption]
