A man claiming to be a representative of the Continuity IRA has claimed in a statement made to the BBC that the dissident republican faction were responsible for an attack carried out during a boxing weigh-in at Dublin’s Regency Hotel on Friday last.
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Another armed with a handgun was dressed as a woman and had an auburn wig while a fifth wore a flat cap and tracksuit.
One of the boxers, who had just stepped off the scales in his underwear, along with three officials, ran for their lives when the gunmen opened fire in the function room.
Amateur video footage of the weigh-in, ahead of a WBO European lightweight title fight between Jamie Kavanagh and Antonio Jao Bento, has been posted online showing the horror unfold.
The Continuity IRA also issued a chilling warning that it is plotting further attacks.
But the gunman who killed him was a member of the rival Irish National Liberation Army who was paid about 30,000 Irish punts to eliminate The General on the orders of another Dublin gangster who wanted him out of the way. CIRA units have been authorised to carry out further operations.
About 300 people were in the hotel when the gang struck, including families with children, boxing fans and a small number of journalists and photographers.
Eddie Hutch Snr, brother of Gerry “The Monk” Hutch, has been shot dead in Ballybough in Dublin’s north inner city.
The police had said they believed the shooting was the result of a feud between organised crime gangs.
He fears the attack may hamper boxing events in Dublin.
The two other victims were taken to The Mater and Beaumont hospitals with what are suspected to be gunshot wounds. One man was killed by gunmen, two others were injured and the attack has left many in shock.
“I jumped over the receptionist’s desk and got on the ground and I started shouting, ‘Don’t shoot, don’t shoot, ‘ and I think I actually said ‘I’m innocent'”.
Chief Superintendent Barry O’Byrne held a press conference on Friday evening: “Gardai believe that at least four people were involved in the incident”, he said.
To counter any retaliation for Friday’s fatal shooting, the Garda Síochána have erected armed checkpoints at major routes into Dublin.
It has led Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald to call on any other gang members who fear for their lives to come forward and seek protection.
“The answer the Garda Commissioner (Noirin O’Sullivan) has given… there was no operational intelligence in relation to this event”, she said.
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The claim also drew scepticism from seasoned commentators in Dublin, while the top brass in the Garda said they were keeping an open mind but pointed to a “criminal” element.
