Gardaí are still searching for the gun used in a shooting incident in which former Limerick councillor, Mr Michael Kelly, suffered a gunshot wound to the head.
The 48-year-old former politician was said to be "critical but stable" yesterday at Cork University Hospital.
Gardaí say they are treating the matter as a "shooting incident" and not as an attempted murder investigation.
Detectives believe it could take some time to piece together all the details of Mr Kelly's shooting and say the investigation will be "slow and methodical".
The self-professed hard man turned politician suffered a gunshot wound to his right temple in his mother's house on Friday morning. It is understood the weapon used in the shooting was a revolver. His 73-year-old mother, Rita, was in the house at Lilac Court, Southill, when the incident happened.
There was no sign of forced entry at the house and there was no weapon at the scene of the shooting.
Mr Kelly was recently released from prison having served a sentence following a conviction for VAT and social welfare fraud. His brother, Anthony, has already said that he believes a third party entered his mother's house and shot his brother.
However, gardaí say they are keeping "an open mind" on the matter and are examining all possibilities.
It is understood that a decision to call in detectives from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation was taken based on the apparent reluctance of the Kelly family to co-operate with local gardaí in previous investigations.