This is the terrifying moment a masked man launched a fiery Molotov cocktail into a fish and chip shop as hungry elderly customers waited for their takeaway dinners.
The balaclava-clad man ran into the Zia takeaway in Dublin, Ireland with the petrol bomb already alight before throwing it – narrowly missing a cowering female staff member.
Three elderly men, who were patiently waiting for their grub, quickly fled the restaurant as clouds of thick black smoke filled the premises.
Brave staff quickly went into action, racing to the fire extinguisher so they could subdue the flames before the eatery could be set ablaze.
The shocking moment was captured by CCTV at the takeaway on Tuesday at 8pm.
Outside cameras also the thug trawling across the car park outside the Walkinstown fish and chip shop.
He can be seen hiding the Molotov cocktail behind his back before setting it alight and storming into the takeaway filled with elderly customers.
Within seconds the criminal ran away into the darkness of the night as the heroic chip shop staff battled the flames.
Locals have been left stunned by the incident, with one fuming: ‘What’s with people molotoving takeaways?’
A second said: ‘That woman could have been seriously injured.’
Others described the attack as ‘horrific’, with others branding the thug as a ‘cowardly b*****d’.
Another quipped: ‘They forgot his garlic sauce I heard.’
The Irish police force, also known as the Garda, is currently on the hunt for the assailant.
A Garda spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘Gardaí are investigating an incident of criminal damage by fire that occurred at a shop in Walkinstown, Co. Dublin on the 19th of March 2024 at approximately 8pm.
‘No injuries have been reported at this time and no arrests have been made. Investigations are ongoing.’
MailOnline has reached out to Zia’s Takeaway for comment.
The shocking incident comes after a home was petrol bombed while a mother and her 11-year-old slept inside.
Laura Coupland, 39, and her son Lincoln-Jay were left fearing for their lives following the terrifying attack at her three-bedroom house in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, in July last year.
She claims two petrol bombs were thrown, one at her car and one at her front door, which were left blackened and smouldering in the aftermath and forced her and her son to move house.
Laura, who has since moved to a new home, said: ‘Me, my son and dogs were in that house asleep at the time.
‘My son was too scared to go back – it’s had quite a big effect on us both.
‘I nearly had a nervous breakdown over it all and became very depressed. It’s affected my son too, he’s become quite angry about it.
‘The fire damaged the house and wrecked everything.’