Gardai are investigating whether the fatal shooting of a man in west Dublin this morning is linked to dissident republicanism.
Liam Kenny (53) died in hospital after being shot several times at 4.05am at his home in Shancastle Avenue, Clondalkin, Dublin 22.
Detectives have opened two lines of inquiry - one that the dead man, who had links to the Continuity IRA, was killed by Real IRA members, and the other that he was targeted by drugs gangs.
Gardaí said at least two armed men tried to force their way into the house, which is in a council housing estate close to the Liffey Valley shopping centre. They broke a hole in the front door, through which the father-of-four was shot. He was taken to James Connolly hospital in Blanchardstown where he was later pronounced dead.
A number of family members were in the house at the time, a Garda statement said. "No one else was injured in the incident. The culprits fled the scene. Investigations are ongoing."
A grey Nissan Qashqai, with a 10 D registration, was later found burned out in the Steeples estate in Chapelizod, about 3km from the scene of the shooting. It was stolen in Dublin several days ago.
Superintendent John Gilligan said: “This car is important in terms of the investigation and we believe that it was used as a getaway car.”
The dissident republican link being investigated is whether Mr Kenny had ties to the Continuity IRA, regarded as the military wing of Republican Sinn Féin. He was a member of Republican Sinn Féin until July last year and left when a splinter group was formed, mainly by members based in Limerick.
Detectives were looking into whether he was targeted because of a dispute with members of the Real IRA or if there are links to a wider turf war over protection rackets. The Real IRA has been involved in a feud in Dublin over security firms manning doors of pubs and nightclubs. There has been at least one murder and several gun attacks linked to it.
The second line of inquiry centred on whether local drugs bosses ordered the attack because dissident groups were interfering with their dealing.
Gardaí in Ronanstown have appealed for anyone with information about killing, which is the second gun-related killing in the area in just over two weeks, to contact them.
A man was shot dead by a gunman as he sat in the back of a car near his parents’ home in Moorfield Avenue, also in Clondalkin, on May 25th. Dean Johnson (20), was a convicted drug dealer, although detectives believe he operated on the fringes of the drugs scene.
The two murders are not believed to be connected.
Clondalkin Sinn Féin councillor Matthew McDonagh, who lives close to the scene of today’s shooting, said the area was shocked by the killing. “Especially the age of the man, at 53. We have to condemn it,” he said.
Mr McDonagh said he hoped the gun attack would not spark further violence.