A team of more than 30 gardaí continued to comb woodland on the Dublin-Wicklow border yesterday in the search for clues which might lead them to the killer or killers of 39-year-old Mr Stephen Byrne.
The body of Mr Byrne, a father of two, from Tyrconnell Park, Inchicore, Dublin, was found lying face-down in a ravine near the entrance to Ballinascorney Woods on Monday morning.
A preliminary post-mortem examination found that he had been shot in the head.
Mr Byrne was believed to have been involved in republican paramilitary activity and gardaí are investigating whether this activity might have resulted in his death.
The officer leading the murder hunt, Supt Michael Byrnes, of Tallaght Garda station, said yesterday that it was too early to pinpoint a motive for the killing.
Asked if paramilitaries might have been involved, he said: "It's much too early to comment on anything like that. We are only in the early stages of our investigation."
The murder victim was known to gardaí. He was one of two men arrested last July after a man was injured when shots were fired through the door of a house at Emmet Road, Inchicore. A garda on a motor-cycle gave chase and arrested the two men. Mr Byrne was subsequently charged in connection with the incident and was due in court shortly.
The officer who made the arrest, Garda Patrick Melody, was stationed at Kilmainham at the time, but is now stationed in Limerick. He was presented with a Scott silver medal for bravery by the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, at a ceremony in Templemore last week.
Gardaí will be examining whether the victim's involvement in this incident might also have contributed to his death.
Supt Byrnes confirmed that a preliminary report from the Assistant State Pathologist, Dr Marie Cassidy, indicated that the victim had died as a result of a single gunshot wound to the head.
"We are now awaiting further pathology reports," he said. "This is now a full-scale murder investigation, with upwards of 30 gardaí involved."
It is believed that Mr Byrne was murdered at or close to where his body was found. Gardaí have appealed to anyone who may have seen suspicious activity in the area over the weekend or early on Monday to contact the special incident room which has been set up at Tallaght Garda station. The number is 01-6666056.
Mr Byrne's body, which was found by walkers, was taken by ambulance to Tallaght Hospital on Monday, and it remained there last night.
His widow, Ms Bernadette Byrne, told RTÉ News last night that her husband was never involved "in anything like the IRA or anything like that". She said that he was a good man who had been "against drugs".