Gardaí investigating a bomb attack in Finglas over the weekend have carried out several searches in north Dublin.
A drone carrying the improvised explosive device, which gardaí believe was targeting a criminal's house in the area, crashed into the home of an innocent family in Glenties Park in the early hours of yesterday morning.
The army bomb disposal team was called to the scene and several homes were evacuated until the device was made safe.
Gardaí believe the attack is linked to a feud among rival criminals over control of the drugs trade and not connected to any terrorist activity.
The drone crashed into the garden of a house at around 11pm on Sunday night.
Gardaí say the pipe bomb was viable and could have caused major damage and serious injury, but failed to detonate because it appears some component became dislodged when the drone crashed.
People were allowed back to their homes after the device was made safe and taken away for a forensic examination.
The drone has also been recovered.
It is the latest in a series of attacks, which included reports of a number of shootings and an arson attack on another home in the area.
Gardaí believe the escalation in violence is connected to an ongoing feud among criminal gangs in Finglas and Blanchardstown.
A well-known criminal in Finglas is vying for control of the drugs trade following intensive garda investigation, which has seen the arrest of 14 members of a prominent rival drugs gang in Blanchardstown and the jailing last week of Glen Ward, the leader of the so-called 'Gucci Gang', and his brother Eric O’Driscoll.
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The man, who is in his 40s, is known for his involvement in serious and organised crime, has several previous convictions and his home in Finglas has been shot at in the past by rival criminals.
Gardaí say they are very concerned about this latest development. It is the first time a drone has been used by a criminal gang to transport an explosive device and target a rival criminal’s home.
A number of searches were carried out over the weekend but so far no arrests have been made.
Detectives are trying to identify those behind the attack and are also anxious to identify the source of the bomb and the bombmaker.
However, at this stage in the investigation, they do not believe there is a subversive involvement.
It is believed that while the explosive device contained electronic components including a timer and had a degree of complexity, instructions for constructing similar devices are available on the internet.
In a statement, gardaí said: "The Irish Defence Forces Explosive Ordnance Disposal team attended the scene and conducted a controlled explosion on the viable suspect device. Investigations are ongoing."
The Defence Forces also said in a statement that "following an assessment by the EOD team, the device was rendered safe and evidence was handed over to An Garda Síochána. This operation has now concluded".
Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin North-West Paul McAuliffe said the drone incident does not define the area but does endanger its residents.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he called for greater regulations around the use of drones to be examined, saying the current regulation is not sufficient.
"We need to examine this further," Mr McAuliffe said, "and there is a commitment in the Programme for Government to do so".
He pointed out there are no regulations around using drones for commercial activity or around clustering and said that whether drones can be taken down by gardaí or the Defence Forces if there is a legitimate concern should be examined..
"This is not some futuristic project, this is happening now," he said.
