Gardaí investigating the murder of Mikolaj Wilk that occurred in Ballingcollig, Co Cork on June 10th, 2018, have arrested a man in his 30s.
The man was arrested in Cork city at about 6.30am and was taken to Togher Garda Station where he is currently detained.
He can be held for up to seven days before being either charged or released. He will be questioned by a dedicated team of detectives working exclusively on the Wilk investigation.
Mr Wilk, a gardener and handyman who had been living in Ireland for nine years, was fatally injured when he was attacked by a gang who broke into the house he shared with his wife, Elzbieta, and their two children at Maglin near Ballincollig.
The man is the fourth person to be arrested in the investigation into the death of the Polish national. His arrest follows the arrest in January of two Poles and a Latvian, all in their 30s, at two separate locations in Ballincollig and a third location in Togher on the south side of Cork city.
All three were arrested on suspicion of facilitating and support an organised crime gang whom gardaí suspect were behind Mr Wilk’s murder. They were released without charge.
It’s understood that gardaí believe the latest man to be arrested, like those previously arrested, was involved in procuring cars and providing logistical support to the Eastern European gang whom gardaí believe fled the country shortly after carrying out the attack on Mr Wilk.
Last week at Cork City Coroner’s Court, Sgt Fergus Twomey applied for an adjournment of the inquest into Mr Wilk’s death, telling Cork City Coroner, Philip Comyn that the investigation remained “live, active and ongoing”.
Gardaí have refused to be drawn on a motive for the killing but say that they have found no evidence to suggest that Mr Wilk was involved in any criminal activity. It is understood that their focus is on a foreign criminal gang from Eastern Europe with local Irish support.
