Information from Tallaght locals led to the arrest yesterday morning of the youth who escaped from Trinity House. The 15-yearold, who cannot be named but is dubbed the "young general", was sleeping in a car parked in the drive of a house on one of the estates.
A crowd of children gathered at a favourite spot for so-called "joyriding" on Tuesday night, sure that he would turn up in a stolen car to put on a "show". On Monday night, the boy and another youth stole a car, gardai said, and encouraged the crowd to stone gardai when they arrived.
According to one source, the message to gardai was that if they did not deal with him, then others would. Local people were angry that the youth was able to escape and return immediately to the area. Another well-placed source said threats have been made against the youth before.
However, Supt Pat Fennessy, of Tallaght Garda station, said he was not aware of any vigilante threat to the boy. "I presume some word must have come in about where he was from some concerned people. We have very good co-operation from the local community and they are anxious to help out and conscious of the dangers of this offender being at large."
According to a local source, some people have threatened to deal with the problem directly. "Every time I hear he's out, I'd say I very much fear for his life. I have been told to my face that they will kill him."
The source said the youth had been attacked twice last year. In one incident, he was shot at and in another he had more than 60 stitches in his head after being hit with a brick.
Mr Peter Smyth, spokesman for the Tallaght Community Council, said he believed these attacks were by fellow criminals. "About 99 per cent of shootings are young fellas falling out amongst themselves." It was "highly unlikely" that a vigilante element would threaten to kill the youth.
Mr Smyth said the youth had been walking around the area openly since his escape. "He was up sunning himself in the park and he let it be known through his cronies that he wasn't going to start any trouble in the area. He was saving it for the rest of the country."
One man said local people blamed gardai and the media for hyping the youth's activities. "They've created a monster. When he's around, the other kids just flock to him. The problem doesn't go away when he is inside but when he's out it tends to explode all over the place."
A source who knows the youth said he had come to the attention of gardai before the age of 10 and was arrested for stealing cars by the age of 13.
The boy's parents have moved out of the area. During his last escape at Easter, a number of cars were stolen and burnt and there was a riot involving some 70 youths.
Supt Fennessy is critical of elements of the media. "There is a danger that he becomes a sort of folk hero from the media coverage."