A CLOSE pal of slain mob boss Alan Ryan was lured to his death by republican terrorists yesterday.
The Irish Sun can reveal Peter Butterly, 34, was summoned to a meeting with Real IRA godfathers at the Huntsman Inn in Gormanston, Co Meath.
But a row erupted between the renegades before the dad-of-three was blasted in the chest and head in the pub’s car park around 2.15pm yesterday afternoon.
The Gardai’s elite Emergency Response Unit then swooped and arrested five men.
Three of those lifted — all well known to gardai and with close links to dissident republicans — were members of Ryan’s Dublin brigade. Officers recovered a firearm a short distance from the murder scene.
James Gibney's bar Staff and customers at the busy bar were traumatised by the daylight shooting.
His wife Eithne was also left distraught yesterday after travelling to the murder scene.
Gardai believe Butterly was shot up to five times after he was accused of stealing cash from terrorist extortion rackets.
Dismissed A source said: “Butterly was dismissed from the Real IRA because he was accused of keeping money for himself.
“There was an order from the terrorists in the North to shoot him on sight but he thought he could sort something out.
“He was very close to Ryan and also travelled to Cork on occasions to speak at commemorations.
“The Real IRA leadership from the North are determined to keep Ryan’s cronies away from the organisation.
“The danger now is that this murder could lead to a full-blown feud.”
We can reveal Butterly was once the Real IRA’s representative in Co Louth.
But he was dismissed from the terror group last year after its new leaders launched a purge against Ryan’s old mob.
Three Dublin men are now running the group.
Two of Ryan’s pals have already been blasted in punishment shootings.
Another member of Ryan’s gang living in south inner city Dublin was warned by gardai he was being targeted by murdered godfather Eamon Kelly’s mob.
Officers from the Special Detective Unit have been on high alert in recent weeks over fears dissidents were set to turn their guns on each other.
They also fear the die-hard republicans were set to wage war against vicious drugs gangs.
And we can also reveal Butterly was caught with Ryan in a stolen car on the M1 motorway, last March.
Gardai believe the pair — both wearing two sets of surgical gloves — were on their way to collect weapons for a hit.
Butterly was previously charged with Real IRA membership and was linked to a huge explosives and arms find in 2010.
