MURDER LINK: Christopher Zambra GARDAI now suspect mobster Christopher Zambra was gunned down by dissident republicans in revenge for the brutal slaying of one of their own, it has emerged.
As gardai mount a massive probe into Sunday’s slaying of 39-year-old Zambra, sources have told The Star he had been implicated in the shotgun killing of former Real IRA boss ‘Fat’ Deccy Smith — blasted in the face six weeks ago.
Officers investigating Zambra’s murder, in which he was blasted in the face at point-blank range, believe the fatal ambush was so well planned and executed that it was likely carried out by terrorists.
And the fact that he was linked to the attack on Smith, a close associate of slain Real IRA boss Alan Ryan, has led gardai to suspect republicans targeted Zambra in revenge.
Blood
“This was not your average gangland hit,” a source told The Star last night.
“It was organised with military precision and that tends to the strong suspicion that it was dissidents behind it.
“They hemmed him in and then chased him down and shot him in cold blood. It was brutal, quick and efficient.”
The area of Cooley Road in Drimnagh south Dublin where Zambra — one of Dublin’s most notorious gangsters — was shot dead was still sealed off last night.
As well as looking for physical clues that will help them nail his killers, gardai were also trawling intelligence sources to establish a motive for the killing.
Officers say there are several possible motives — but his connection with the Mr Big of Irish crime last night emerged as the prime theory.
That man, from north Dublin, is a major drugs importer and armed robber.
He has been feuding with dissident republicans since 2010 when they tried to extort hundreds of thousands of euro from him and his ally, a gangster based in Co Cavan.
They were just two of a number of criminals targeted for cash by Real IRA leader Alan Ryan — but unlike everyone else they refused to pay up.
Instead, they had Ryan (32) murdered as he walked in his native Donaghmede, north Dublin on September 3, 2012.
Tensions have been at boiling point between Mr Big and associates of Ryan ever since — with the terror group vowing revenge.
Revenge
Belfast native ‘Fat’ Deccy Smith was a key associate of Ryan — and had spent the last 18 months hunting Mr Big down.
However, Mr Big had Smith shot moments after he dropped his kid off at a creche, also in Donaghmede, on March 21.
Now, gardai suspect, associates of Ryan and Smith finally got their revenge by slaying Zambra.
Zambra had become close to Mr Big and gardai had intelligence he was involved in the Smith killing on behalf of his new boss.
That involvement, officers now believe, meant he was a dead man walking.
Now there are fears that Mr Big will target republicans in revenge for Zambra’s killing — sparking more deaths.
Zambra, a former Irish youth international soccer star, was visiting his sister’s home on Cooley Road, Drimnagh, when the shock attack occurred just before 3pm on Sunday.
He suffered bullet wounds to his jaw, stomach and back.
Although the Real IRA link is the main theory, gardai say it is to early to exclude other possibilities.
One line of enquiry is that Zambra was murdered after he was caught in bed with the girlfriend of a dangerous gangster who is currently serving life in jail.
Drugs
However, officers are also probing if the murder was carried out by associates of slain drugs trafficker John ‘Champagne’ Carroll.
Zambra was last year cleared of ordering the murder of Carroll, who was shot dead in Grumpy Jacks pub in the Coombe on February 18, 2009.
