AN aircraft associated with the US military has been damaged in the latest security breach at Shannon airport.

Raiders apparently cut through a hole in a perimeter fence to reach the Omni Air International DC-10 airliner, which is used to carry US troops, and severed a hydraulics pipe.

However, as the aircraft was there simply as a replacement plane for the airline it was not required to be protected by Gardai or troops.

It is not clear which part of the aircraft's hydraulics was damaged.

The plane was parked on a disused runway and the words "US troops out" was also spray-painted on it.

The attack comes eight years after a US Navy cargo jet was targeted twice by anti-war campaigners in a matter of days. That incident forced the Government to provide an increased security presence at the airport.

The damage in the latest incident was discovered on Tuesday afternoon but it is believed the incident took place overnight on Monday.

Yesterday gardai inspected the damage to the plane as well as the security fence which may have been used by the culprits to gain access to the aerodrome.

Irish Independent