MR Martin Foley says he has no idea who shot him on Thursday evening as he was driving home, or why. He is as mystified by this latest ambush as he was by the attack on December 5th last.
He underwent further surgery at St James's Hospital in Dublin yesterday for gunshot wounds. He has lost the top of his middle finger on the right hand, as well as being hit in the side and back. One bullet punctured his right lung, but none of the shots lodged his body.
He described his attackers as young and says that one of them appeared to have an AK47 assault rifle. He ran into a house to escape them and used his elbows to smash a plate glass window and escape.
In a hospital bed last night he seemed remarkably calm and well for a man who had his car riddled with gunfire, had been shot at point blank range and had a punctured lung. He had a number of cuts and bruising to his arms and head as a result of throwing himself through the window.
He denies dealing in drugs or being involved in any criminal activity in recent years. He says that he is broke and can't even afford to pay his telephone bill.
He accepts that the latest attack is probably connected with the one which took place on December 5th near Fatima Mansions in Rialto, when he suffered a superficial gunshot wound to the side.
Mr Foley says that he received no warning before or since that incident. He said there had not even been a threatening phone call. "I don't know who is attacking me, or why", he added.
After the murder in 1994 of "The General", Martin Cahill, Mr Foley was one of a number of people summoned to meetings with the Provisional IRA. Mr Foley says he met members of that organisation for about 3 1/2 hours.
Their main concern was that there would be no retaliation against the organisation from friends or associates of Mr Cahill. Mr Foley said he had made it clear at the time that he had no intention of becoming involved in any form of retaliation.