Reports of drones spotted near Dublin during the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were part of a “coordinated threat”, the Minister for Justice has said.
Jim O’Callaghan said he did not wish to speculate on whether the incident was state-backed but said it “certainly wasn’t a back garden drone enthusiast”, reports Breaking News.
Gardaí are conducting inquiries into the appearance of drones over Ireland while Mr Zelensky made a short visit to Dublin last week.
Mr Zelensky and Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska touched down in Dublin late on Monday night, reports Breaking News.
On Tuesday, he met President Catherine Connolly and Taoiseach Micheál Martin before addressing the Dáil, where he said Ireland “understands the price of freedom”, reports Breaking News.
The Journal initially reported that unknown drones were observed flying in the north-eastern part of Dublin around the time Mr Zelensky’s aircraft arrived at Dublin Airport shortly before 11pm last Monday, reports Breaking News.
Gardaí stated that the Special Detective Unit will be working with the Defence Forces and international partners to examine the incident.
Speaking in Brussels, Mr O’Callaghan said he was “not going to reach a determination yet” on whether it was a state-sponsored incident. I think it’s fair to say that we think this is part of a coordinated threat to EU and Ukrainian interests,” he said on Monday, reports Breaking News.
“Our suspicion is that this was drones that were generated for the purpose of putting pressure on EU and, indeed, Ukrainian interests. I have to say, however, that the visit of President Zelensky to Dublin last week was a success. The gardaí did a very good job in terms of ensuring that security was at a very high and effective level,” reports Breaking News.
“There’s an investigation ongoing in respect of the presence of drones out in Dublin Bay. The gardaí have very good anti-drone technology, and we’re going to be spending more in terms of defence just in terms of seeking to combat drone technology, because, as you’ll see, its not just an issue in respect of Ireland but throughout the European Union there are issues in respect of greater threats being exposed as a result of drone technology,” reports Breaking News.
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