Van crashes into gates outside Irish Prime Minister's office, driver arrested

A driver was arrested early Friday morning in Dublin after crashing his van into gates outside the home of Ireland’s president, the offices of the prime minister and the building housing parliament, police said.

Detectives questioning the suspect had ruled out terrorism as a motive.

The series of incidents occurred around 2 a.m., when government offices were closed, and no injuries were reported.

The van first rammed the fence outside the official residence of President Michael Higgins, but did not enter the grounds. The driver then travelled about 3 miles (5 kilometers) to central Dublin, where the van ploughed into several gates outside two government building complexes.

Pickets in the sturdy iron fence outside the offices of Prime Minister Simon Harris were bent inward and the gate was knocked off its hinges outside the attorney general’s office.

Louise O’Reilly, a member of parliament for the Sinn Féin party, said she and other lawmakers will ask police, known as garda­, how the incidents could have occurred.

“It’s hard to understand how someone was able to carry out these attacks in several locations in this manner,” O’Reilly told national broadcaster RTE. “We will be looking to the garda­ to provide us with information as to how this could have unfolded and how someone was able to travel to three separate locations in Dublin city before being apprehended.”

The driver, who is in his 40s, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of driving offenses. The white van he was driving was towed from the scene.