Armed gardai are to be deployed amid fears of a major escalation in violence linked to a bitter feud centred on a €1.7 million drug debt.
Officers in Tallaght, South Co Dublin, are on high alert following a spate of recent incidents and the discovery of a pipe bomb inadvertently brought into the local garda station on Friday.
Sources say members of the force’s armed support unit will patrol the area.
READ MORE - Tallaght Garda Station urgently evacuated and bomb squad called after alarming discovery in bag
A source said: "This is all over a €1.7 million cocaine debt and it has escalated significantly in recent days.
"There have been upwards of 14 incidents between these two factions but things seriously escalated on Friday."
That escalation came after officers arrested a man on suspicion of having a firearm – only to discover he had a viable pipe bomb in his bag. The subsequent security alert saw Tallaght Garda station evacuated.
The Defence Forces Explosive Ordnance Disposal team were deployed and the device was removed.
Officers are hopeful the man will be charged with manufacturing and possession of an IED explosive device - as well as possession of an imitation firearm.
The source added: "This man would be known to gardai but it came as a shock that he had a pipe bomb in his possession.
"Now there is concern he intended to use it to get back at the other side after a recent criminal damage incident."
A man remains in Garda custody in relation to the discovery.
Officers now fear the bitter dispute has turned personal and lives could be lost.
The heightened tension comes after an incident of criminal damage during the week.
That is also the subject of a Garda investigation.
It follows another incident the previous week where shots were fired at a man.
The intended target was rammed off a bike before several rounds were fired at him but he escaped injured.
Following that incident, shots were fired at a house in the Tallaght area last Sunday – an incident which was filmed on CCTV and posted online.
The footage shows the shooter arriving at the scene on an electric bike – stopping in front of the house and producing a handgun.
The masked figure is seen aiming the weapon at the house before he discharged a number of rounds.
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