Man arrested, house sealed off by gardaí investigating Mahamud Ilyas murder

Gardaí investigating the murder of Mahamud Ilyas, whose body was found dumped in Co Meath at the weekend, have arrested a man and sealed off a house in West Dublin as a crime scene.

Detectives are working on a definite line of inquiry and had since Sunday been searching for people of interest in the inquiry. A man in his 50s has now been arrested and detectives are confident they are making progress in the case.

Mr Ilyas (22) lived in Blanchardstown, West Dublin, and gardaí believe he was killed late on Friday or early on Saturday before his remains were rolled in carpet and taken to Belgree Lane, Kilbride, where they were dumped.

A man walking in the area on Saturday afternoon discovered the remains and raised the alarm. No effort had been made to bury, or even hide, the body beyond it being left in a wooded area, which was more secluded than nearby fields.

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The scene was sealed off by gardaí and an examination of the area has since been carried out by members of the Garda Technical Bureau. While it is clear Mr Ilyas was killed at another location before his remains were taken in a vehicle and dumped near Kilbride, the murder scene remains unknown.

From the early stages of the inquiry, gardaí were working on a specific line of inquiry and were seeking people of interest in the Dublin area. On Tuesday a man in his 50s was arrested and taken to Blanchardstown Garda station for questioning.

He is being detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, which allows for him to be questioned for up to 24 hours without charge. As he was being questioned a home in the Dublin 15 area was sealed off as a crime scene and was undergoing a technical examination.

Gardaí believe Mr Ilyas died due to injuries sustained in an assault, during which he was kicked and punched repeatedly. Detectives suspect he was killed by somebody known to him as part of a localised dispute.

Gardaí investigating the killing have been speaking to his family members and also to friends of his in Ireland. They were trying to establish if he was being threatened or was under any form of pressure from criminal elements in Dublin.

Given the nature of the attack and the fact his body was wrapped up and driven to a remote location and dumped, gardaí suspect he may have been targeted by people with involvement in serious crime.