Gardaí raid home of teen who may have been target of pipe-bomb attack before Joshua Itseli murder

The 20-year-old is believed to have been shot dead by one of his associates, who opened fire with a high-powered AR-15 rifle when their car was rammed shortly after midnight.

The stolen Volkwagen Golf, which was fitted with false registration plates, was involved in a collision with a Mercedes on the junction of Knocknarea Road and Curlew Road in Drimnagh, while a Ford Focus was also involved.

One line of inquiry is whether the victim and his associates were on their way to carry out a pipe-bomb attack before being intercepted by rival criminals. A viable device was recovered on Knocknarea Court shortly after the shooting.

As part of the inquiry, detectives have recovered good-quality CCTV footage showing parts of the incident, while clothes and mobile phones have also been seized.

At least three properties have been searched by gardaí in an attempt to recover further evidence linked to the fatal shooting.

One of the homes searched is connected to a teenager who gardaí believe may have been the target of the planned pipe-bomb attack.

Garda press conference following Drimnagh shooting

Sources said the teenager’s home was effectively “cleared out” before gardaí were able to execute a warrant.

A van linked to the teenager, which was spotted near the scene of the murder, has also been recovered as part of the inquiry.

Detectives are still attempting to establish a motive for the possible pipe-bomb attack and subsequent shooting.

Preliminary examinations of the scene indicate that only one weapon was discharged, about 20 times.

An AR-15 semi-automatic rifle was found the following day on top of a bush and is believed to be the murder weapon.

Shortly after the shooting, three young males, who were known to Mr Itseli, were arrested nearby by armed gardaí.

All three have since been released without charge.

One of the suspects, aged in his early 20s, is believed to have fired the weapon, which resulted in the victim being shot in the head.

Gardaí are investigating whether Mr Itseli was shot dead accidentally, or if he was set up by his own gang.

Mr Itseli was recently the victim of a stabbing attack in Dublin city centre, during which he avoided suffering serious injuries.

Gardaí are probing whether this assault was a catalyst for the chaotic scenes shortly after midnight on Monday, or if it was linked to wider issues connected to the drugs trade.

The suspect is also under investigation for previous shootings and an attack on a female, but is on bail despite gardaí raising concerns that he would be involved in more serious offending.

Armed support units have been carrying out patrols of Dublin 8 and 12 this week over fears of reprisal attacks linked to the murder.

Dublin Lord Mayor Daithí de Róiste described it as a “worrying development to see such powerful weapons on the streets” of Dublin.

“I appeal for anyone with any information whatsoever to let the gardaí know,” he said.

Mr Itseli was known to gardaí and was before the courts on drug-dealing charges.

He had previously resided in Ratoath, Co Meath, and in the Kylemore area, as well as a hotel in south Dublin.

He was arrested with crack cocaine valued at over €30,000 last summer and was due to go on trial before the Circuit Court.

A post-mortem examination was due to be conducted by the office of the state pathologist yesterday.

Descriptions of the panic and chaos that surrounded the Drimnagh murder have started to emerge.

One of the cars that escaped the scene left a trail of destruction as it reversed at speed up Knocknarea Road after the shooting.

Video footage circulating on social media shows hooded men running down a cul-de-sac and having to double-back.

One of the men appears to be carrying a weapon.

Gardaí are now appealing for information in relation to an electric motorbike believed to be linked to the murder.

Gardaí are appealing to anyone who may have observed the black Talaria Sting electric motorbike in the vicinity of Dolphin Road in recent days. The motorbike has been seized by investigating gardaí, who are also seeking the rightful owner of the vehicle.

One line of investigation being examined by gardaí is that a grey Golf was followed down Knocknarea Road by a silver Ford Focus and the Golf crashed into a black Mercedes car at the junction of Curlew Road.

The shooting happened at the crash scene.

Gardaí are examining if the silver Ford reversed at speed away from the scene back up Knocknarea Road, crashing into other vehicles and a tree while moving.

The vehicle is believed to have then turned down Sperrin Road in an attempt to escape the scene.

The badly damaged Ford was dumped at that point, most likely because it was not driveable, and a van is believed to have collected the men from the scene.