HOSTEL HORROR | 

Interpol to help gardai probe background of hostel pipe bomb victim as he is named

Man had mental health issues, but was not involved in crime

Today at 02:30

Gardaí have contacted Interpol seeking further details about the man who died after a pipe bomb exploded beneath his bed at a Dublin hostel for homeless people on Thursday.

The 38-year-old has been identified as Lithuanian Igor Dmitrov, who was not known to gardaí for involvement in serious crime.

However, he did have multiple interactions with officers in Dublin city centre since moving to Ireland eight years ago.

The explosion happened at the Depaul property on Little Britain Street, Dublin 7.

It is understood Mr Dmitrov had been suffering with serious mental health issues that had previously led to his hospitalisation.

“Most of the matters that he came to garda attention for would be linked to that condition – public order issues in the main,” a source said. “There is no evidence to suggest this is a murder and there is no evidence that he was linked to any organised crime gang in Ireland.

“So the big question relates to why a pipe bomb was in his room in that hostel, and why did it detonate. It is still not known if this was accidental or planned.

“The Interpol investigations are absolutely necessary in this case because gardaí need to build a full picture on this individual.”

The source added that nothing has been identified in the man’s background to explain why he had the bomb in his room or where it came from.

It is understood he suffered extensive injuries in the explosion and died instantly in the small room where he was staying.

Sources described the pipe bomb as “a particularly powerful device”.

Gardaí should be in a position to get information on Mr Dmitrov from the international police agency over the weekend.

An army bomb-disposal team carried out a controlled explosion at the scene late on Thursday night.

More than 50 residents were evacuated from the hostel after the blast, which was confined to one room and caused significant structural damage.

Mr Dmitrov was the sole occupant of the room at the time.

Hostel residents were forced to evacuate the premises without any of their belongings, but the Depaul charity managed to find alternative accommodation for all of them.

David Carroll, CEO of Depaul Ireland, said the building was cleared within two to three minutes of the bomb going off.

“We had people on walking frames who were evacuated from the building,” he said, adding that he had a “great degree of pride” for how well staff and service users had responded.

“We’re hoping to get back into the building as soon as possible. That’s probably one of our main objectives at the moment,” he added.

“Our main objective, really, is to support those individuals until we can get back in. They are all dispersed throughout temporary accommodation in the city.”