A mob boss is believed to have staged a fake hit on himself in order to get his bail conditions changed, which would allow him to move house.
Gardai in Clondalkin, West Dublin, were called to the scene on Saturday night, following the bogus hit.
The gangster, who is suspected of ordering the murder of Benny Whitehouse last September, told officers that the gun jammed twice during the incident.
The thug and a close pal of his from the Ballymun area drove to the gates of a property at Commons Road, Clondalkin, at 8.55pm on Saturday.
As they waited for the gates to open, a man in a balaclava approached and appeared to attempt to fire a shot at the gangster with a handgun.
The gunman's weapon allegedly jammed and he then appeared to attempt to fire a second time, but again the gun failed to go off.
The gangster got out of the car and ran, but the gunman did not follow and instead was driven away in a waiting car.
Gardai from Clondalkin were notified and rushed to the scene before recovering two 9mm bullet cartridges in the area.
Detectives have found discrepancies in the man’s version of events as the entire incident was caught on CCTV at a house on Commons Road.
It is now believed the criminal recruited a pal to “stage” the hit.
A garda source said that the gangster has been ordered to live in an address in West Dublin, but the thug had recently been trying to move an address in North Dublin.
It is suspected that he hatched a plan which would enable him to plead in court that it was unsafe for him to live in Clondalkin.
