Dublin detectives last night said they feared an outbreak of tit-for-tat killings following the murder of Mr Ronald Draper outside a city centre pub on Saturday night.
The dead man was a member of a Dublin criminal gang which was involved in a high-profile gang fight with the INLA at the Ballymount Industrial Estate in west Dublin in 1999, during which a man with links to the INLA was killed.
One Garda source said it was feared Ronald Draper's murder at the weekend may have been linked to ongoing tensions between the criminals and the INLA. "There is a fear that this might lead to further similar incidents. A lot of those involved in Ballymount are wondering if they are going to be next," said one detective.
Ronald Draper, a 25-year-old father of one, was gunned down in a gangland-style killing as he worked as a doorman at Charlie P's bar on Eden Quay on Saturday night.
His killer arrived on the scene on the back of a motorcycle. The masked gunman approached his target, shot him four times with a handgun and escaped on the motorcycle, which was driven by an accomplice.
Mr Draper, who lived with his partner at Brookview Walk, Tallaght, was taken to the Mater Hospital where he died from his wounds.
His brother, Paul Draper, who served a 21-month prison term for a serious assault on a garda, claimed in court that his father and brother Ronald were "no angels", adding they had been questioned in relation to a gang fight in 1999 during which a man with links to the INLA was killed.
In October 1999, Patrick Campbell from Blanchardstown was killed by a gang of Dublin criminals during an incident at the Ballymount Industrial Estate. He had connections with the INLA.
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