A man (aged in his 40s), who was arrested in relation to an investigation into alleged online threats against Public Representatives, has been released without charge. A file will now be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The politicians targeted are Dáil deputies from a number of parties, including senior Cabinet Ministers from the three coalition parties.
The arrest comes amid a heightened atmosphere around the abuse of elected representatives, both online and in person. Senior Garda officers have also become increasingly concerned in recent years about politicians’ homes being targeted by protesters. While the groups involved are very small, and they protest about an eclectic range of issues, some of the people involved are regarded as very volatile.
When the Dáil resumed last month after the summer recess, politicians were met with a small but very abusive group of protesters on the streets, with a number of TDs being escorted by gardaí as they entered and exited Leinster House. However, they continued to be subjected to aggressive verbal abuse and jostling, despite being accompanied by uniform gardaí on foot.
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Those scenes, videos of which went viral on social media, resulted in a major policing operation being put in place for budget day earlier in October for fear of bigger protests taking place. However, when an extensive sterile zone was created inside a security perimeter around the Houses of the Oireachtas, no protesters gathered on the day.
[ Dáil authorities face dilemma over protestsOpens in new window ]
The Garda has also moved to bolster security around Cabinet Ministers, including assigning close protection officers – armed Garda members – to them since early last year. Those security arrangements had previously been scaled back, in the years after the Celtic Tiger economic crash, as a cost-cutting exercise.
The Irish Times understands the man arrested on Tuesday is suspected of making threats online against senior Cabinet Ministers from the Green Party, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil and has been under investigation for some time.
Garda Headquarters in Phoenix Park issued a brief statement on Tuesday night confirming an investigation was being carried out into “alleged online threats against public representatives” resulting in the arrest of a suspect earlier in the day.
[ OPW spends €3.6m on security at homes of politicians amid rise in protestsOpens in new window ]
“The man, aged in his 40s, has been arrested for an alleged offence contrary to the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997,” the Garda statement said. It added the suspect was “being detained under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1948 at a Garda station in the west of Ireland”. The Garda was “not providing any further information at this time”.
