A GARDA alert has been issued for the suspect in a terrifying machete attack which "nearly cut off" a man's arm in Co. Meath.
The incident occurred in Ashbourne shortly before noon today when the victim, 26, was attacked outside a Boots chemist on busy Killegland Street.
The suspect parked his silver Golf outside the chemist and got out with a machete or large knife, leaving children behind in the vehicle.
He then launched an attack on the victim in broad daylight and "nearly cut his arm off", before driving away from the scene in the direction of Dublin.
Gardaí are investigating whether the attack could be linked to an ongoing Traveller feud between two local families, according to the Irish Independent.
A source told the paper that the suspect is known to officers and fled the scene in his car in the direction of the Irish capital.
They added that an alert has been issued with details of the suspect and the getaway vehicle to Garda stations throughout the Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR).
"Gardaí are following a definite line of inquiry and the man believed to be responsible for the machete attack is known to Gardai," the source said.
The victim of the attack suffered a number of gruesome injuries to his arm and was rushed to Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown.
His wounds are understood to be serious but non-life threatening.
