Garda sources have said they believe the explosive device thrown into the back garden of a house in Dublin last night was targeted at the wrong location.
They say the two adults and five children who were in the house at the time are entirely innocent victims of the attack.
The device, thought to have been a pipe bomb, was thrown over the back wall of a garden at a house on Spitalfields off Francis Street.
The device exploded, causing some damage to the back of the house.
Residents of a number of houses in the immediate vicinity were forced to leave their homes for two hours.
Members of the Defence Forces' Explosive Ordinance team have been assisting Garda technical experts with their examination of the scene this morning.
Neighbours said they were frightened by the loud bang and said their houses shook.
Nobody was injured in the attack.
The family who were in the house at the time have left their home while a Garda investigation continues.
They returned briefly to the house this morning to retrieve some items.
Gardaí are investigating whether there is any connection to an incident last June where residents of the nearby Park Terrace area had to be evacuated from their homes when a grenade was thrown at a house.
They are also investigating a link with the firing of a number of shots in the area last week.
Meanwhile, gardaí are also investigating an arson attack on a house in the Tymon North estate in Tallaght at around 12.30am.
No one was in the house at the time, but several residents in the estate were evacuated.
