Gardaí believe the murder of Dublin criminal John Daly was a well-planned killing, organised from the time he was released from Portlaoise Prison two months ago.
Detectives are satisfied that a black Toyota Landcruiser used by the killers, which was found burned out close to the murder scene, was stolen in mid-August in Donnycarney, north Dublin.
They believe the vehicle was hidden until the killers were ready to move against their victim.
Detectives are working on the theory that the killers knew Daly was out on Sunday night and most likely waited for him in the stolen vehicle close to the entrance of the cul de sac where he lived.
The 27-year-old was gunned down as he sat in the passenger seat in a taxi on Cloonlara Drive, Finglas, just before 2am. He was with two friends and three women they had met on Sunday while drinking in the city centre.
The six had returned to Finglas and had stopped off at a number of houses in the taxi trying to source alcohol.
Daly's two friends fled the scene when he was shot. Gardaí have now identified them and they were spoken to yesterday. One of them is related to the dead man.
Gardaí say given the number of enemies Daly had it is still too early in the investigation for a chief suspect to have emerged. However, their inquiries are focused on three periods in Daly's life.
Firstly, they are examining any possible links between his killing and a number of shootings he was involved in during the period from July 2002 to October 2003 when he was released on licence from a nine-year prison sentence for armed robbery.
Secondly, detectives are investigating if any of the criminals he met while in Portlaoise Prison after that sentence was reactivated may be linked to his murder.
Daly fell foul of major gangland figures at the jail after a phone call he made to RTÉ's Liveline show in May on a smuggled mobile. The call from the maximum security jail was an embarrassment to the prison authorities and led to a major clampdown on contraband items - including phones, televisions and drugs - across the prison system.
Thirdly, gardaí are examining links to criminals he had clashed with since his release from jail in August. He was trying to establish a base in his native Finglas and in the process had crossed a number of gangs who have been implicated in major trafficking and gangland murders.
He clashed with one gang which killed its own leader, Martin 'Marlo' Hyland in Scribblestown Park, Finglas, last November.
Detectives had received intelligence in recent weeks that different criminal elements wanted Daly dead. They warned Daly that he was at risk.