Authorities have arrested a man who allegedly drove his truck through the gates of the Russian Embassy in Ireland, The Irish Times reported.
Numerous videos of the incident allegedly showed local businessman Desmond Wisley, of Leitrim County, reversing his vehicle into the gates of the embassy and forcing them to open as onlookers watched.
Wisley then got out of his vehicle and handed out photos to other protesters showing what Russian troops are doing in Ukraine, according to The Irish Times.
“I just done this to create a safe corridor for the Russian ambassador to leave Ireland,” Wisely told the crowd of protesters.
“I want the ambassador and his colleagues to leave this country, leave this free country,” Wisely added. “It’s about time we stood up.”
Some onlookers, who were protesting outside of the Russian Embassy, allegedly shouted “Bravo” and “Well done” after the truck crashed through the gates.
Protester Lukasz Ryz said that Wisley initially passed by the Russian Embassy when he started to reverse his vehicle, The Irish Times reported.
“He said to everyone: I want to destroy this gate. He made sure everyone was out of the way. He was conscious of safety,” Ryz told the media outlet.
Witness Katherine Condren also said that she thought Wisley drove the wrong way when he started to reverse his vehicle.
“I was shocked how quick [the gate] went down,” Condren added.
The protest comes as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to a series of international sanctions being leveled against Moscow. U.S. companies in a variety of sectors have also moved to end business with Russia.
In a statement, the Russian Embassy in Ireland said it “appreciates” authorities’ cooperation in the case, adding that the Garda, Ireland’s national police service, should implement more safety measures for the embassy and its personnel.
“We would like to inform that additional measures have been undertaken by the Garda to ensure safety and security of the embassy and its personnel. The embassy appreciates cooperation by the Irish authorities in this matter,” the embassy said in a statement.
According to a Garda spokesperson, Wisley was taken into custody by authorities as police are investigating “an incident of criminal damage” at the embassy.
Irish authorities said an investigation in the case is still ongoing, The Irish Times noted.