A woman who was arrested in Dublin in connection with a threat to kidnap the children of Tánaiste Simon Harris has been released without charge.
The woman, aged in her 30s, was arrested on Tuesday at a house in west Dublin by investigating gardaí from Ronanstown. The investigation was supported by counter extremism gardaí from the Special Detective Unit.
She was detained under section four of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at a Garda station in the Dublin metropolitan region.
On Wednesday, the Garda said she has been released without charge and a file will now be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
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The threats were made on social media over the weekend and explicitly targeted Mr Harris’s family.
In a statement on Monday, the Fine Gael leader said as a father he had “very strong views and feelings” on the issue, while as a political leader he found it “unacceptable in every way”.
“Let me be clear: threatening people – any person – is a crime,” he said. “Threatening children is despicable. It is cowardice and it is a line that no decent society should tolerate being crossed.”
[ Simon Harris condemns ‘despicable’ online threats against his familyOpens in new window ]
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said threats to people in public life are unacceptable.
“I condemn unreservedly the abhorrent threats made to Tánaiste Simon Harris and his family. Such threats to people in public life are unacceptable,” he said. “They are a fundamental threat to our democracy.”
The Fine Gael leader has received threats before, including through social media and a phoned bomb threat.
Protests have also been held outside the house in Co Wicklow where he lives with his wife and children.
In June 2024, an anonymous caller rang a Samaritans helpline and claimed there was an explosive device at the Harris family home. The alarm was immediately raised by the organisation.
