Three men have been arrested in connection with the robbery of an AIB branch in Dublin this week in which a bank official was abducted and more than €200,000 was taken.
Two men, aged 23 and 38, were arrested after gardaí and the Emergency Response Unit stopped a car in an apartment block off the River Road in Finglas last night.
A man in his 70s was arrested in a follow-up search. The three men are being held at Finglas Garda Station.
Gardaí also recovered €30,000, which they believe is from the robbery.
Three men forced their way into the home of the bank official in the Deerpark Estate in Kiltipper in south Dublin early on Tuesday morning.
A second man living in the house was taken hostage and later released unharmed.
The official was told to go to the AIB branch at Crumlin Cross and take the money.
The bank official handed the money over to the gang later that afternoon.
Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern paid tribute to the gardaí for the operation.
He added: 'I understand that a sizeable sum of money has been identified as being part of the proceeds of that incident.
'The position, however, remains that agreed protocols - designed first and foremost to ensure bank staff safety - do not appear to have been implemented this week.
'Department of Justice senior officials and senior management at the gardaí have been focusing their attention this week on ensuring that the protocols are implemented at all times.'
The Minister told the Oireachtas Committee on Justice that he is awaiting a report from gardai how the bank official managed to hand over €210,000 to the gang.
