Irish Justice Minister Helen McEntee is at the centre of another bomb threat at her Co Meath home this afternoon.
The threat was made by a man claiming to be imprisoned at Mountjoy jail and was issued through the Samaritans helpline.
Local detectives attended the scene of Ms McEntee’s home shortly after 1pm and the Special Detective Unit (SDU) is also en-route.
Gardai were also in the process of enlisting the services of an explosives dog to assist with a sweep of the minister’s home.
Garda headquarters said: “Gardai are investigating a potential threat against an elected representative in the east of the country.”
The Irish Independent understands that the caller to the Samaritans claimed to be phoning from Mountjoy prison.
A separate source said the threat was “more circumspect” that previous bomb threats made to the justice minister through the Samaritans with the caller claiming another inmate said there were explosives left at the minister’s Meath home.
This is the second recent bomb threat to the minister. Earlier this year, convicted rapist Michael Murray was given an additional two years in prison for phoning in a hoax bomb threat against McEntee.
Murray, formerly of Seafield Road, Killiney, Co Dublin, is already serving a 19-year-sentence for rape.
It has since emerged that he is also the prime suspect behind the hoax bomb threat on Taoiseach Simon Harris’s home last June 26.
An investigation is underway by the Garda Special Detective Unit, which is the State’s counter-terrorism branch, into this threat against the Taoiseach.
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The rapist has had his in-cell telephone recently removed at the Midlands Prison over allegations he made a hoax phone call to the Samaritans, saying there was a bomb at the home of the Taoiseach.
However, he is still allowed to use a phone on the landing, positioned under a video camera, and can still call the Samaritans, as all prisoners are entitled to ring the helpline.
It is understood prison bosses recently considered removing that entitlement from Murray (53), through the Samaritans.
But after consideration, it was decided it would not be possible to remove his right to phone the Samaritans, because if he was genuinely in need of the crisis helpline and it had been removed, it could be viewed as a breach of his human rights and he could potentially take a legal action.
Prisoners in Irish jails benefit from in-cell phones. Each inmate has a log-in number and several pre-agreed numbers they are allowed to call.
These generally are parents, partners, children, other relatives and their solicitor. The Samaritans number is also available for all prisoners to call.
Murray brought a High Court case against sanctions imposed by the prison authorities. The court heard he rejected a finding that he breached prison rules by making a threatening phone call on June 26, but the governor found he had engaged in misconduct.
After finding that such behaviour contravenes the 2007 Prison Rules, the governor imposed a sanction of 40 days’ loss of ordinary privileges within the prison and the loss of 12 days’ remission from his sentence.
The governor’s finding and the sanctions were upheld on an appeal to the Irish Prison Operations Directorate.
Through his lawyers, Murray has brought High Court judicial review proceedings, claiming the sanctions are unlawful and should be set aside.
He says that after denying the claim against him, he was not given a proper opportunity to respond.
He claims that during the disciplinary hearing, he asked to be provided with the information supporting the allegation against him.
He says that request was declined on the grounds that the material was “confidential”. He further claims he was not informed of the nature of the evidence against him.
In his action against the governor of the Midlands Prison, Murray seeks a declaration from the court that the disciplining of a prisoner under the 2007 rules for misconduct is subject to the principals of natural justice and fair procedures.
The case was adjourned.
Murray was jailed for 19 years in 2013 for the rape of a woman whose child he abducted.
In 2021, he was convicted and jailed for an additional 16 years on charges including threatening to kill and harassing lawyers who had prosecuted him. He is not expected to be released from prison until 2037.