A MAN HAS been arrested following an attempted armed robbery of a shop on Military Road in Dublin.

At approximately 6:55pm, a masked man entered the retail premises armed with a firearm and demanded money, a Garda spokesperson said. 

Two plain-clothes members of the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI) were present in the shop at the time. One of the detectives became aware of the ongoing attempted armed robbery and challenged the masked man.

The detective identified himself and was threatened by the man with the firearm. 

“A physical struggle ensued and the member was assisted by his female Detective Garda colleague, disarming and restraining the male,” a Garda spokesperson said. 

The two gardaí were also assisted by a member of the public in the shop.

Shortly afterwards, local gardaí responded to the incident and gardaí from the Divisional Detective Unit from Kilmainham Garda Station formally arrested the man.

The arrested man, aged in his 40s, was taken to a Garda Station in Dublin, where he is currently detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.

A firearm that is believed to be a replica has been seized and a ballistic examination will be conducted to determine its status under Irish legislation, the spokesperson said.

Gardaí said investigations are ongoing, adding that both detectives are being provided with “all necessary welfare supports by their local management”.