Gang accused of attempting to mow down a Garda also wanted in connection with thefts in Kildare

A gang who are accused of attempting to mow down a brave Garda in Wicklow last week are also wanted in connection with robberies that have been carried out in Kildare in recent months.

The gang of three, who are all reportedly members of the traveller community, sparked a nationwide hunt when they attacked a Garda who was trying to stop them from getting away after they were accused of going on a shoplifting spree in the area.

The Irish Sun report that the Garda attempted to take the keys from the vehicle, and although he initially managed to do so, the three men then attacked him, before hitting him with a car door and driving off. The gang are also wanted in connection with robberies in Sligo, Tullow, Thurles, Donegal and north Dublin.

A 20-year-old man, who is said to be in the gang, is pictured in today's Irish Sun wearing a bulletproof vest while holding a machete. He is also the chief suspect in an investigation looking into an attempted theft in Finglas last year when a delivery man was ran over.