Tensions high following attack on associate of slain RIRA boss Alan Ryan in which he was stabbed in face.
An associate of murdered crime boss Alan Ryan was stabbed in the face in an attack in Dublin's city centre.
The 25-year-old - understood to be a close associate of Ryan - was walking with a woman when the attack occurred in broad daylight in Dublin's city centre yesterday.
Gardai in Mountjoy are investigating the "serious stabbing incident" which occurred on Parnell Square North at approximately 4.10pm. The man received serious injuries to his face - the 24-year-old woman who was walking him was not injured during the attack. The victim made his way to Temple St Children's hospital and was transferred by ambulance shortly afterwards to the Mater hospital, where his injuries are described as non life threatening. No arrests have been made at this stage, and the scene was preserved for a technical examination
“Republican groups up and down the country have lost total confidence in the New I.R.A because of their links to criminality and there [sic] utter cowardly failure to address to murder of republican Alan Ryan. "The R.I.R.A in The North of Ireland and Dublin have regrouped and have amassed a stockpile of weapons that will be used against the crime gang that have been responsible for the murder of Alan Ryan and the Attacks on republicans.” The garda investigation into Alan Ryan's murder is still active and it is understood that a file on the case is almost ready to be sent to the DPP. At the latest adjourned inquest hearing into the case in June, a solicitor representing Ryan's family at Dublin Coroner's Court said it was "simply unacceptable" it has taken gardai so long to complete the file. Ryan, who was a leading member of the Real IRA in Dublin and considered a significant crime figure, was gunned down in broad daylight.
A gunman approached him from behind as he walked along Grange Lodge Avenue in Clongriffin with two friends, opened fire and shot him multiple times. His paramilitary-style funeral was interpreted as a show of force by the Real IRA, sparking major controversy. The father-of-one’s death is understood to have been part of an ongoing gangland feud. The inquest into Ryan’s death was opened in October 2012 and Gardaí have sought several adjournments since then to facilitate their investigation.
