Garda sub-aqua divers had to break through ice on the frozen Royal Canal today to search for a gun used in a double murder at the weekend.
Detectives believe the weapon used to kill Brendan Molyneaux and Paddy Mooney at a flat on Dublin’s Pearse Street was thrown into the waterway.
It is also thought a bike that may have been used by the killer was also flung into the canal, near the Docklands railway station, close to Spencer Dock.
Several Garda units, including the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Garda Water Unit and local officers, were involved in the search which began at around 10am.
They concentrated throughout the day on a particular area about the size of a football pitch. Divers broke through surface ice to get underwater while other officers combed grass verges on the banks of the canal. A Garda source said nothing was found during the search.
Detectives were yesterday granted extra time to question four suspects about the double killing at a flat in Pearse House, on Sunday night. The prime suspect and his girlfriend are among those being questioned.
It is believed a Finglas man, well known to gardaí, carried out the shootings and was targeting Mr Molyneaux (45) in a pre-emptive strike connected to a bloody gangland feud.
Mr Mooney (58) is thought to have been an innocent bystander caught up in the attack.
Fears of further violence has prompted Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy to deploy the force’s Emergency Response Unit (ERU) onto the capital’s streets.
Armed teams will back up uniformed officers as they increase their presence around the city over the coming days and weeks. Although the Garda insisted increased road checkpoints will be city-wide, they are expected to focus on particular areas in north and west Dublin.
The ERU has been deployed in the north inner city before during previous surges in gangland killings.
PA