Gangland Dublin: Gunmen burst into pub and kill man linked to Hutch-Kinahan feud

Gerry Hutch, Christy Kinahan — Gerry Hutch and Christy Kinahan led Ireland's most notorious crime syndicates Reuters

A 35 year-old-man shot dead in a Dublin pub is the sixth suspected victim of a violent feud between gangland criminals Christy Kinahan and Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch. Multiple gunmen burst into the Sunset House pub on Summer Hill Parade and opened fire at about 9.30pm on Monday (25 April).

A burnt-out silver Audi A6, the killers' suspected getaway vehicle, was later found in nearby Drumcondra. The victim has not yet been identified but is believed to be from County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.

He was reportedly known to Gardai (Irish police) for involvement with dissident republicanism but officers say they are not ruling out a link to the ongoing Hutch/Kinahan gangland feud in the Irish capital. The man's home was searched last week for suspected links to a previous shooting at the Regency Hotel.

This is just the latest killing linked to a violent gangland war between two of Ireland's most notorious alleged crime lords. Hutch and Kinahan have been engaged in bitter conflict since the murder of Hutch's nephew, Gary, in Spain last year. Gary Hutch was killed by Kinahan gang members because they believed that he alerted the Gardaí about a drug shipment, the Guardian reported.

The violence escalated in February after gunmen burst into a boxing weigh-in at the Regency Hotel in Dublin and shot dead David Byrne, a 34-year-old who had connections with Kinahan. The feud has since claimed three more lives.

Four days after the Byrne shooting, Hutch's brother Eddie, 59, was killed at his home in Dublin's North Strand area. The incidents led to armed police patrols and armed checkpoints being set up in Dublin.

In March, Noel 'Kingsize' Duggan – so called because of his alleged links to cigarette smuggling – died after being shot in the village of Ratoath, just outside Dublin. Duggan was also linked to The Monk.

Just under two weeks ago, Martin O'Rouke, a 24-year-old homeless man, was shot dead in Dublin in what is believed to have been a case of mistaken identity.

Hours after Monday's shooting another man in his 30s was shot dead in Clondalkin, Dublin. The victim was known to police for involvement in drugs but is believed to have been killed as a result of a local dispute.