Staunton threatened outside team hotel

Gardaí are searching for what they believe is an imitation firearm after an incident in which a man threatened to kill the Irish football manager.

The man who has a history of mental illness approached the Irish team hotel just as the team arrived back from training at around 7.30pm this evening.

He was carrying what is believed to have been a replica plastic Uzi sub-machine gun.

After issuing the threat he ran away but was followed by security staff and arrested by gardaí.

The man, who is aged 31, is from Portmarnock. He can be questioned for up to three days.

14 August 2006 22:56

RTE NEWS

‘A DISTURBED man, looking for attention’ is how garda sources have described the Portmarnock man who allegedly confronted Republic of Ireland soccer manager, Stephen Staunton with a ‘BB gun’ in a bizarre attack outside a Portmarnock hotel on Monday night.

A 31-year-old Portmarnock man is being detained at Malahide Garda Station under section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act following the incident where the Republic of Ireland boss allegedly had his life threatened with what garda sources have described as a ‘classic imitation firearm’ commonly known as a ‘BB gun’.

At the time of writing, a search was ongoing on Portmarnock beach for the weapon but local gardaí said the man in custody following the incident has given information which suggests they are looking for a BB gun.

The Irish boss was in the car park of the hotel and talking on his mobile when he was approached by a man, who began shouting at him and produced a weapon.

Believing his life may be under threat, Staunton ran into the hotel and raised the alarm.

The attacker is understood to have dumped the BB gun in bushes before he was caught by the security men who detained him until local gardaí, who were on patrol in the area, arrived quickly.

Fingal Independent 16/08/2006