Armed Gardaí have arrested a man this evening in connection with an arson attack on a patrol car in east Donegal.
The vehicle was destroyed in the incident which occurred outside Castlefin Garda Station at around 4:15am today.
The man was detained after members of the specialist Armed Support Unit (ASU) burst into a house in the Emmet Park area of the town shortly after 5:30 pm.
“A man in his 30s was arrested on the afternoon of Saturday 21st January in connection with this incident,” a spokesperson for the Garda Press Office said.
“He is currently being detained at Letterkenny Garda Station under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984. Investigations are ongoing.”
Local residents told Donegal Daily there was a large garda presence in the estate at the time of the arrest.
The initial alarm was raised by a passing motorist who noticed the car on fire.
The building was unmanned at the time.
It is believed the vehicle is the only permanent patrol car attached to Castlefin Garda Station.
A similar incident took place there several years ago when a private car belonging to an on-duty garda was burned.