Gardai in west Dublin expect further violence arising from a feud between local criminals and members of a splinter republican terrorist group following the death of a young Belfast man who was attacked with a machete or sword and clubs.
There is concern that a number of "hit teams" of armed men from west Belfast have arrived in Dublin to avenge the death of the young man, according to Garda sources. Between 40 and 70 men, many with republican connections, are said to have travelled south. Mr Patrick Campbell (22), from the Ballymurphy area of west Belfast, suffered severe slash injuries to the backs of both legs, possibly intended to cripple him before he was bludgeoned to death with blows to the head last Wednesday night. He was killed by members of a criminal gang.
Mr Campbell, who had been living in Blanchardstown for the past year, was a member of the Irish National Liberation Army. He was present when an INLA gang took a number of local criminals prisoner in an industrial unit in the Ballymount Industrial Estate.
Up to six members of the criminal gang were held prisoner, stripped naked and were being severely beaten by an INLA gang. More members of the criminal gang arrived and overpowered the INLA group.
During the fighting Mr Campbell received fatal injuries. He was taken to Tallaght Hospital but never recovered consciousness.
It is understood the dispute started when a van belonging to one of the Dublin INLA was damaged by a member of a criminal gang. The damage was slight, but the incident led to a row in which an INLA member was assaulted last weekend. The attempted retaliation by the Dublin INLA led to the fracas at Ballymount.
Gardai are concerned that the dispute may escalate again as members of the INLA began arriving in Dublin over the weekend, apparently intent on avenging Mr Campbell's death. A team of detectives has been working throughout the past week to try to determine what has been happening in the dispute and to prevent further violence.
Two men arrested in west Dublin on Saturday under the Offences Against the State Act were being questioned in Crumlin Garda station yesterday.
As well as the dispute between the Dublin INLA and the criminals, led by a man from Walkinstown, there appears to be an internal dispute within the INLA which could also lead to serious violence. It is understood that some of the Northern INLA figures are seeking to take retaliation against members of the Dublin wing. It is not clear if the dispute in Dublin is connected with an incident last Wednesday night in Dundalk in which two men were shot and injured at their homes in Cox's Demesne. There were two other shooting incidents in west Dublin at the weekend but there was no indication that these were connected with the INLA/criminal dispute.
At around 1.45 a.m. on Saturday two men received shotgun blast injuries when they were fired on as they stood outside the Red Cow Inn. One local man received injuries to the head and chest and the other man, from Scotland, received less serious injuries. They were treated in Tallaght Hospital.
In another incident at 3.30 a.m. yesterday, a gunman opened fired on a group of youths standing in Deasy's Road, Ballyfermot. No one was injured.
According to Garda sources, there does not appear to be any connection between the INLA/criminal dispute and the incident a week ago in which a Dublin brothel owner was kidnapped and shot. That is believed to have been an attempted robbery by criminals in west Dublin.
