'The return of the IRA to Dublin' was the headline in French newspaper Libération's website on Monday evening following the shooting of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel in Drumcondra, north Dublin on Friday night.
The article was published just two hours before Eddie Hutch snr was shot dead at his home on Poplar Row in the north inner city at about 7.45pm.
The father and taxi driver, who was in his 50s, has been described as the latest victim of a feud between a gang loyal to murdered criminal Gary Hutch and one led by international drugs trafficker Christy Kinahan.
However, the top story circulating the international media on Monday evening and early on Tuesday was that the IRA was back in town.
The Telegraph reported that Taoiseach Enda Kenny had suggested the AK47 assault rifles used in last Friday's fatal attack at Dublin's Regency Hotel may have been brought to Ireland in the past by the Provisional IRA.
The paper reported Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams "angrily denounced the Taoiseach's comments", saying "the IRA are gone and their weapons are gone". It added the news the Continuity IRA had claimed responsibility for Friday's attack in retaliation for the murder of Dublin Real IRA senior figure Alan Ryan who was gunned down in another gangland killing in September.
The Continuity IRA’s claim of responsibility for the boxing weigh-in murder caused confusion when a few hours later, Eddie Hutch snr was shot in the capital.
In a statement sent to the BBC, a man claiming to speak on behalf of the leadership of the Continuity IRA said its members were responsible for the shooting. The BBC reported on Monday that as “a hard-line republican group, CIRA is violently opposed to any deal not based on a united Ireland”. The BBC added that the use of the term ‘continuity’ refers to the group’s belief that it is “carrying on the original IRA mission to force Britain out of Ireland”.
The statement also warned of further attacks, according to the BBC. “This will not be an isolated incident,” cited the BBC on its website. “Continuity IRA units have been authorised to carry out further operations. More drug dealers and criminals will be targeted.”
Spanish newspaper El Mundo led with the headline "organised crime shakes hands with terrorism in Dublin" , adding that "the clash of the titans ended up in bloody Friday".
The Spanish media outlet reported that the scheduled fight between Jamie Kavangh and Antonio Jao Bento for the title of European lightweight champion ended in a dramatic “paramilitary assault” and that David Byrne was “mercilessly riddled with bullets”.
Portuguese media site Diario de Noticias reported that dissidents had claimed the life of a Dublin gangland leader, while French newspaper Liberatión wrote that a branch of the IRA had claimed a life during the boxing weigh-in. It added that gardaí had alluded to the role of gangland criminals in Friday's killing.
The Guardian reported that security sources in Ireland had expressed scepticism over the Continuity IRA's claim that it carried out the attack on the boxing weigh-in last Friday. It later reported the shooting of Eddie Hutch snr in Dublin, saying the attack was believed to be in retaliation for Friday's attack.
Speaking to the Guardian, local Independent TD Maureen O'Sullivan said the shooting on Poplar Row had taken place minutes after her canvassers left the area. "Whatever people are into this is an appalling waste of life, in the middle of a really well-built-up area with lots of residents," Ms O'Sullivan said. "It is dreadful stuff."
