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The Taoiseach has branded the abduction and beating of businessman Kevin Lunney as \u201ccowardly and brutal\u201d.<\/p>\nThe Taoiseach has branded the abduction and beating of businessman Kevin Lunney as \u201ccowardly and brutal\u201d.<\/p>\n
Leo Varadkar said he was horrified by the attack on the Quinn Industrial Holdings (QIH) executive.<\/p>\n
His comments came after T\u00e1naiste Simon Coveney compared the kidnap and assault to the \u201cgangland paramilitary-style punishment beatings of the past\u201d.<\/p>\n
The father of six was attacked as he arrived at his home in Derrylin, Co Fermanagh, on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Mr Lunney, a director at QIH, was driven away before being subjected to a beating at an unknown location.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am really horrified by that attack, I condemn it absolutely, it was a very cowardly act and brutal act too,\u201d said Mr Varadkar.<\/p>\n
The Taoiseach said he had spoken to DUP leader Arlene Foster about the incident and had received a briefing from Irish Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to make sure that Garda resources are put behind this, that there\u2019s co-operation between the Garda and the PSNI,\u201d said Mr Varadkar.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we really need here is arrests and convictions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier, Mr Coveney told the D\u00e1il: \u201cWe cannot allow this type of brutal intimidation which is a reminder of the kind of gangland or paramilitary punishment beatings of the past. I don\u2019t say that lightly.<\/p>\n
“There is an obligation on communities living in the area. There are many people who know who these people are and know who is behind the brutality, intimidation and total lawlessness in terms of what happened. They need to come forward to the PSNI and Garda if they have any information.”<\/p>\n
Other directors of QIH have been the targets of several attacks and acts of intimidation in Co Cavan and Co Fermanagh in recent years.<\/p>\n
Mr Coveney added: \u201cThis was a shocking incident that I think a lot of people across the country are talking about.<\/p>\n
\u201cA completely innocent person coming home from work and getting rammed by a car and then brutally pulled from his car by a masked gang of men and taken across the border in a way that will potentially induce life-changing injuries both mentally and physically, and then left in a ditch.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not what people living in the border counties want or expect and they need to work with both An Garda Siochana and the PSNI to stamp it out and respond to what, quite frankly, could have been a man\u2019s death.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said \u201cno stone will be left unturned by An Garda Siochana and the PSNI\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe relationship between the PSNI and An Garda is stronger now than it has ever been and this will be a case they will work very closely on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Fianna Fail TD Dara Calleary said there \u201cappeared to be a complacency in policing\u201d in dealing with the spate of attacks.<\/p>\n
Mr Coveney said the number of garda\u00ed in the border region where the attack took place has increased by 150 to 1,500 since the end of 2017 and there will be an armed support unit established in Co Cavan.<\/p>\n