Woman held hostage escapes unharmed as stand-off comes to an end

A major stand-off in a Dublin estate that lasted almost five hours has come to an end this afternoon.

A woman (30s) who was being held by man (40s) escaped unharmed, while the man was taken to hospital for treatment.

Gardaí from Cabinteely were called to a house in Ballyogan Green this morning at approximately 11:20am due to a disturbance.

A number of Garda units attended the scene, including members of the Garda Emergency Response Unit and the Army. A Defence Forces EOD team was requested as a precaution.

Residents from several houses were evacuated as the incident unfolded, with many told to stay away from the area.

Those who remained in their homes were ordered to keep away from windows, with officers flooding the back gardens of homes to gain vantage points.

The large scale operation continued for more than four hours, with the man eventually leaving the house and reportedly surrendering himself to officers.

In a statement from gardai a spokesperson said: “A female in her 30s was held hostage in the house by a man in his 40s.

“After a short period of time the female left the house unharmed.

“Negotiators were in constant contact with this man and at approximately 3:30pm he left the house and was taken to hospital for treatment.

“A replica firearm was recovered in the house. Investigations are on-going.”     

A plea for a media blackout, due to safety concerns, from the gardai has now been lifted.

More to follow…