'Suspected killer of Josh Itseli' attacked as gang 'implodes'
The Irish Mirror has confirmed that the thug - whom gardaí believe shot Josh dead with an AR15 assault rifle in south Dublin in May – got what sources said was 'a bad beating'
The prime suspect for the gun murder of Josh Itseli has been brutally attacked in Dublin.
The Irish Mirror has confirmed that the thug - whom gardaí believe shot Josh dead with an AR15 assault rifle in south Dublin in May – was attacked by a former ally. “He got a bad beating,” a source confirmed.
And sources have also told us that the thug – who is awaiting trial on a serious but unconnected charge – has now fallen out with the rest of the gang of young criminals involved in the shock murder of Josh, 20. “That gang is imploding and they are at each other’s throats, “ one insider revealed.
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There have been several attacks over the breakdown of relations within the gang in recent weeks- and the suspected trigger man was lucky to escape serious injury when he was attacked at the start of this month.
Sources say he was attacked by a former ally, who has now turned on him.
And we have also established that gardaí are now investigating a pipe bomb attack in Dublin that is also being attributed to the simmering feud. We have confirmed that a house was targeted in the attack as a warning to a man connected with the occupants of the house by two brothers who are closely connected to the prime suspect.
Josh was shot dead as he and a group of criminals went to target two rivals in the Drimnagh area of south Dublin at the start of May – and the two brothers and suspect fled Ireland on a ferry to England within a week of his killing.
They returned at the end of July. The two brothers are now the suspects for the pipe bomb attack – and gardaí are probing the theory that it was connected to a row over money.
Sources say the three suspects and Josh had been offered several thousand euro to attack the original targets – but were not paid after the 20-year-old was shot by accident by his ally
The brothers want their money and are suspected of attacking the house as a warning to the associate who commissioned the attack – and has so far refused to pay them. Gardaí now fear the gang is turning on each other – and are braced for more attacks.
“There is a lot of tension in the area,” a source confirmed. Sources have told us the brothers, who are regarded as dangerous but low level criminals, escaped Ireland with the man who gardaí believe accidentally shot dead Josh in Drimnagh in the south of the city on May 6.
That thug, who was an associate of Josh, was arrested shortly after the incident – but was released without charge two days later and promptly left Ireland.
He was accompanied by two young brothers who gardaí believe supplied him with the AR15 minutes before Josh was shot as he sat in a car on Drimnagh’s Knocknarea Road. Sources say the three packed up their belongings into a car and sped to Dublin Port – where they boarded a ferry to Holyhead in Wales on May 9.
But as well as packing clothes and other items, they had also taken an amount of drugs with them – and their car was stopped by North Wales Police once the ferry docked in Holyhead.
Officers searched the vehicle and found the drugs – and arrested one of the brothers as he was driving the car and was the registered owner. Sources say he was later taken into custody – but was later released and all three returned to Ireland.
Gardaí have been mounting a major investigation since the killing of Josh, who was both in Ireland but whose parents are from the Congo. They now know who was involved in the incident – as well as the names of the two brothers who provided the AR15.
And they also now believe that Josh was shot accidentally by one of his associates after he was involved in a foiled pipe bomb attack. Gardaí have established that Josh was in a car with three criminals when it was rammed as they were on their way to mount a pipe bomb attack on two brothers in the Drimnagh area on the night of May 6.
Their targets – who are not the brothers who supplied the rifle - are regarded as minor criminals who have a reputation for attacking foreigners in the city, as well as stealing bikes. But it’s believed they fell foul of the crime gang that included Josh Itseli – who was on bail facing two charges of drug dealing at the time of his death.
Josh’s gang decided to launch a pipe bomb attack – but their targets somehow got wind they were on their way to them. One theory being examined is that the Itseli gang sent a video threat to their targets.
The brothers then decided to ambush the gang – and rammed a car two of them were travelling in in the Drimnagh area just after midnight on Monday, May 6. Joshua Itseli was shot dead in that incident and it had been thought that the brothers had killed him.
There was no evidence they were armed and detectives believe Joshua was accidentally shot by one his own side. Josh’s three associates – who were wearing body armour – fled the area after the killing, but were arrested by armed gardaí.
They were all later released without charge – including the serious criminal suspected of firing the fatal shots. Although the trio were released without charge, a file is now being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions. Sources say gardaí are confident the DPP will direct that all three be charged over the incident.
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