Gardai were last night braced for a fresh wave of killings — after it emerged former associates of a terrorist gunned Peter Butterly down outside a pub in broad daylight.
As detectives questioned five suspects over the killing of Peter Butterly (35) on Wednesday, sources told The Star the former Real IRA member was blasted by members of his own gang.
Gardai are also investigating intelligence that the brutal hit was a direct result of the dissident pocketing cash that was meant for the Real IRA cause.
Hard-line elements of the group are determined to rid the organisation of people that it deems undesirable.
The RIRA, led by Alan Ryan (32) until his murder in Dublin in September last year, had been infiltrated by mainstream criminals — but the group’s new leadership want to return to traditional republicanism and get rid of criminal elements.
Sources said the Real IRA is expected to target other former members who have been expelled in recent months.
“The new leadership are carrying out a purge,” a source said last night. “There are plenty of people within the organisation that they want to kill.
“They believe there are a lot of bad apples and they are determined to get rid of them.”
Sources told The Star that Butterly, of Togher in Co Louth — gunned down at the Huntsman Inn in Gormanston, Co Meath on Wednesday — had been a target of the RIRA leadership for at least a year.
Four men whose car was stopped by gardai and arrested near the scene were still in custody last night, while another man, who was with Butterly in the car before he was shot, is also still being held.
