Grenade attack on police being treated as attempted murder
pic hostPolice in Northern Ireland are treating a failed dissident republican grenade attack on its officers as attempted murder.
A senior officer said it was only "good fortune" that lives were not lost in Friday night's bomb bid in east Belfast, revealing that the military-grade weapon landed at the feet of three officers but failed to detonate.
The grenade was hurled from an alleyway in the republican Short Strand area.
The murder bid came just over 24 hours after a failed under-car booby trap bomb attack on a person with connections to the armed forces in north Belfast.
The sophisticated tilt switch bomb fell off the vehicle in the Linden Gardens area on Thursday and did not detonate. A young boy apparently kicked it as it lay on the street.
Both attacks have been blamed on dissident republicans opposed to the Northern Ireland peace process.
Police officers were responding to reports from local residents of anti-social behaviour when the grenade was thrown at around 10.15pm in the vicinity of Pottingers Quay in the Short Strand.
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Temporary Superintendent Bobby Singleton said he believed the calls to police to attend the area were genuine and were not a bid to lure officers into danger. He revealed how near the three officers came to death or serious injury.
"The device was thrown and landed very close to the officers, basically at their feet," he said. "Those who carried out this attack showed a total disregard for the safety of the local community and worryingly, for the second time in as many days, young people were in the vicinity at the time of the attack."
He said the "reckless and senseless" attack was being treated as attempted murder and said the assumption was dissidents were to blame.
The senior officer also hailed the three officers targeted for staying on duty to help evacuate the area in the wake of the attack.
"It is only by sheer good fortune that we do not have a fatality on our hands as this attack occurred in a built-up residential area," he said.
"Police officers join to serve our communities and work tirelessly to keep them safe.
"In contrast to the irresponsible actions of those behind the attack, the officers targeted insisted on remaining at the scene to assist in keeping local residents and their colleagues safe."
PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton branded the attack an "act of madness".
He tweeted: "Device thrown at local police in Short Strand last night was an act of madness that could have killed or injured police or local residents."
The security operation in the Short Strand area continued on Saturday with roads closed to traffic.
Sinn Fein councillor in the Short Strand Niall O Donnghaile insisted the perpetrators had no community support.
"I strongly condemn those involved in this incident which has served only to cause disruption to the local community," he said.
"Clearly somebody could have been killed or injured in this attack.
"I will say this clearly, there is no justification, rationale nor support in this community for violent attacks on the police.
"In successive elections people in this community have overwhelmingly voted for Sinn Fein and endorsed the peace strategy.
"Through tough and prolonged negotiations Sinn Fein have secured a peaceful democratic path to a united Ireland and a new Republic.
"The actions of those who would attempt to undermine that path by futile armed actions do so against the wishes of this community.
"I challenge those responsible to explain their actions to this community, something I am sure that once again they will fail to do."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Massive cash haul seized in special operation linked to Don gang
windows 7 screen shotA massive €300,000 cash haul seized by gardai after a major surveillance operation is suspected to belong to close associates of Brian O'Reilly, the best pal of slain gang boss Eamon 'The Don' Dunne .
Sources have revealed that the cash - in both euro and sterling - is linked to a key associate of north Dublin criminal O'Reilly (46) who has survived two assassination attempts, most recently in a shooting in Balbriggan in June 2014. He has since recovered from his injuries.
The Herald also reveals that a criminal tried to claim the cash sum - which was the subject of a court case last week - back from gardai.
He claimed that he needed the money as it had been set aside to pay part of a seven-figure bill to the Criminal Assets Bureau. The €300,000-plus sum was ultimately confiscated by the State as part of last week's court proceedings.
The confiscation order was made by Judge Martin Nolan at the sentencing hearing of another O'Reilly associate, William Trimble (57), in the Dublin Circuit Court.
Trimble, of Edenmore Drive, Coolock was jailed for four-and -a-half years after being caught with more than €290,000 and £12,000.
He had pleaded guilty to a sample count of possessing €243,000, knowing or believing it to be the proceeds of criminal conduct, at a Kinsealy apartment on July 21, 2014.
Detectives set up surveillance and arrested Trimble leaving the property with a vacuum pack machine.
They found €24,000 hidden in a false compartment at the back of his jeep and €23,000 in a fake wardrobe compartment in the apartment.
Gardai found four packages containing €50,000 in a safe at Edenmore Drive, as well as a smaller package with €15,000 and a pink bag holding €5,850.
A further €6,750 was found in a bedroom, along with €16,000 in envelopes in the garden shed as well as the £12,000.
The cash bust was the second major seizure against the gang in the space of just three months last year. Previously, more than €250,000 in cash was seized in a raid in Coolock.
Sources say that the fact that the group continue to be active despite over €500,000 being seized from them is an indication of the levels of cash they have been making from drugs trafficking.
"They were able to absorb whatever blow the loss of this cash was to them and continue as normal," a source explained.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ireland's burglary gangs: The dirty half dozen who have created a climate of fear
image hosting 30 mbIRELAND’S burglary gangs have created climate of fear across Ireland with round-the-clock thefts, breaks-ins and raids.
Some of the most prolific burglary gangs come from within the traveller community who use their lifestyle to cover their activities. But other criminals have also been getting in on the act using cash from robberies to fund drugs and cigarette smuggling rackets.
Operation Fiacla by the Gardaí succeeded in putting some of the best-known suspects behind bars, but the crime wave has continued. Both urban and rural are being targeted with farms also being singled out by well-organised crime gangs stealing machinery and metal.
The distance covered by the organised gangs and their expertise means that huge garda resources have to be deployed to catch them in action.
Organisers were stunned when 2,000 people showed up at a public meeting in Thurles this week to vent their anger at the growing epidemic of burglaries and break-ins in country areas.
“We were hoping for maybe 900 people but 2,000 showed up,” said farmer Robert O’Shea, who was raided twice in one week last year losing €15,000 of tools he had built up over decades.
“Between 60 and 70 per cent of those who attended were victims of crime and when we asked in a straw poll if they knew anyone who had been robbed it was 100 per cent.
“We have had enough. People are living in fear and isolation. It is time the laws were changed on trespass and bail which allow these criminals to roam the countryside.”
He said the new organisation, Save Our Community, would now be demanding talks with Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald.
“People power is the only thing that that will make the government sit up and take notice. Laws have to be changed,” said Mr O’Shea
The Gangs:
The Subaru Gang
This loose of alliance of gangsters from among the traveller community has been one of the country’s most prolific burglary outfits in the country for decades. A leading member Andy ‘Cock’ Wall was released from jail last year after serving time for a Longford break-in.
He was caught red-handed with jewellery taken from a private house during a night-time raid. The have been responsible for targeting the valuables held by homeowners in expertly executed raids in almost every single county in Ireland.
Other members were caught after raid in Co Kerry following a surveillance operation that started in Dublin. The gang got it’s nickname from their preference for using stolen high-powered cars to make their getaway.
The Sulky Bandits
Based in Limerick city and surrounding towns members of this group from the travelling community have connections across Limerick, Tipperary, Kerry and Cork.
Individuals are suspected to use their sulky racing activities as cover for their criminal operation spotting potential targets in remote rural locations.
An unauthorised stable in east Limerick was burned down by vigilantes who blamed its presence for sparking a crime wave in the area. Members of the gang are now use violence and pose a danger to innocent road-users with high-risk driving to escape the attention of the gardaí.
The thieves who carry out raids have access to well-connected scrap metal dealers and criminals who can off-load other goods for cash. They carry out raids day or night and are not intimidated by the presence of Gardaí.
The Romanian Gang
A gang of violent criminals from Romania, based in Ireland targets gold and jewellery in burglaries. They are suspected to be behind dozens of thefts all over the country and regularly fly in criminals from outside the jurisdiction to carry out jobs.
They also operated outside of Ireland and much of their ill-gotten gains are quickly shipped out of the country. Electronic goods and smart phones have netted the gang bosses hundreds of thousands of euro.
This week armed gardaí arrested five suspects in north Dublin seizing a number of mobile phones and laptops. They are thought to have been behind one robbery in which €200,000 worth of jewellery was snatched from a shop in Co Kildare.
Many of the individual criminals operate under strict hierarchy with bulk of the profits gong to bosses based outside Ireland.
Rubber Reillys
Violent thug Patrick Rubber Og O’Reilly (below) was released last year after serving his time for his part in violent feud attack. While he was inside his son ‘Rubber Beag’ was one of the targets of Operation Fiacla launched in 2012 which saw 300 people charged with offences.
Other members of the clan are professional criminals involved in break-ins and distraction thefts.
A number of relatives have previously been investigated by the Criminal Assets Bureau attempting to launder their cash through car deals. Sunday World sources claim Rubber Og Reilly’s arrival in areas such as Kildare, south Armagh and Donegal since his release has coincided with a spate of burglaries.
A number of women are also active as key criminal members of the gang.
The Pale Connors Gang
Slain gang boss Fat Andy Connors had dozens of convictions for burglary and continued carrying out break-ins himself despite his millions. There are more than a dozen members of this outfit have who have continued carrying out break-ins all over Dublin and Leinster despite his murder.
Gang members are experts at what they do, jamming alarm systems or simply ignoring them as they quickly search a house and escape. They have also been suspected of using children as young as 11 to carry out burglaries.
They also like to target elderly or vulnerable people for raids knowing they won’t face any resistance.
The M1 Gang
This collective of professional thieves operate around the north east and the Irish midlands carrying out break-ins, distraction thefts and shop-lifting. Members of this gang would have close connections to the men jailed last week for the horrifying raid on the Corcoran family.
Businessman Mary Corcoran was threatened with extreme violence in front of his traumatised wife Emma and their young kids. Another member of the gang, Matthew Fahy, hit the headlines when he was blasted in the arm by a farmer when he tried to raid the property.
Fahy, who is serving time in jail, has been credited with being among the first to start using a fishing rod to steal car-keys through letter boxes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Garda killer was supplying handguns to criminal gangs and terrorists
photo uploading websiteseports in today’s Irish Independent reveal that Adrian Crevan Mackin had been buying guns from the US online and bringing them into Ireland.
The republican thug had been purchasing decommissioned weapons which he then reactivated and sold on.
Adrian Crevan Mackin
US authorities tipped off Garda Special Branch who searched the violent cop killer’s home in Omeath in January and found two of the re-purposed guns and components for bomb-making but there was not enough evidence to prefer a charge for possession of the items.
He was already well-known to gardaí and the PSNI for his involvement in a breakaway faction of the Real IRA and had been spotted regularly in the company of "major players".
Crevan Mackin was charged with membership of the IRA and was on bail when he murdered Gda Golden and shot Siobhán Phillips before turning the gun on himself.
Garda Tony Golden
Meanwhile, it has also emerged that the terror suspect had threatened the lives of two female officials from social services in Northern Ireland who were investigating him for domestic abuse.
The thug was caught with extreme animal porn when he was arrested for a previous assault on Ms Phillips.
Ms Phillips had suffered severe physical abuse and was living in fear. Last Friday night she had been subjected to a prolonged overnight attack during which he threatened to kill her and her entire family.
Her family reported the incident to gardaí on Saturday and on Sunday afternoon she went with her father, Sean, to Omeath Garda station where she gave a statement to Gda Golden.
Gda Golden escorted Siobhán to the house so that she could collect her things and return to her family home.
Thousands of mourners are expected at today's State funeral at Blackrock, Co Louth, today.
The Church has seats for just 300 people which will be reserved for family members and the official dignitaries. Gardaí are closing roads into the village from 10am until after 2pm.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two Limerick crime families on brink of all-out war
image hosting over 5mbwo dangerous crime families caught up in Limerick’s underworld are on the brink of all-out war after a tense stand-off at a funeral.
Members of the Curtin and Collopy clans clashed recently in a confrontation that threatened to break out into serious violence.
“Two individuals got into each other’s faces and it got to the point where guns were going to be pulled,” according to a source.
However, since the incident occurred last month, both sides backed off and the gangsters have observed an uneasy truce.
Convicted gangster Paul Curtin was caught up in the incident along with Jonathon Collopy, in a stand-off that threatened to spill over into a wider feud.
Curtin has previously been jailed for his part in a shooting incident in which a young girl was accidentally hit with shotgun pellets.
His brother Christopher, who was also jailed in the same incident, operates a significant criminal gang in the city.
Collopy also has convictions for drugs offences and was arrested in Bulgaria in 2012 at a Black Sea resort before retuning to Limerick.
Sources said the row between the clans started a number of years ago over claims that one side didn’t pay for a consignment of drugs.
Christy Curtin and Brian Collopy once fought each other in the visiting room in Limerick jail over the same dispute.
The latest tension comes as Gardaí continue their investigation into the attempted murder of mob boss Christy Keane, who survived being shot four times last June.
Senior figures in the infamous McCarthy clan are suspected to have ordered the hit on their old rival after years of relative calm.
Fears remain the attempted killing could reignite the lethal feud between the Keane and McCarthy factions.
The Collopys have previously been aligned with the Keanes, but the bond has loosened in recent years, even though one of the brothers is married to Christy Keane’s daughter.
In recent times a number of significant players from the crime clan have been arrested and charged with separate offences and are currently on remand behind bars.
The Collopys were also weakened by the death of gang enforcer Philip, who accidentally shot himself in 2009 while showing off a 9mm Glock pistol.
The 29-year-old, who was obsessed with guns, was the family hardman.
Despite their reputation, the Collopys would be foolhardy to take on a feud with the Curtin family, according to sources.
Christopher Curtin is well-known as being a serious gangster who once did business with the McCarthy-Dundons.
Two years ago members of the clan were the targets of a huge operation by Gardaí in a series of raids on the city’s outskirts.
A number of drug caches seized by Gardaí, each worth in excess of €200,000, have been linked to criminal members of the Curtin clan.
