Latest: Gardaí claim arrests of four men in Dublin as 'one of the most significant operations' in Ireland

Update - 11.07am: Gardaí say the arrests of four men for conspiracy to murder in Dublin is one of the most significant operations ever undertaken in the State.

Two men were picked up in Fairview last night with a loaded handgun and a silencer.

Two more men were arrested around the same time in the south inner city.

The men are associated with the Kinahan cartel, while the intended target has links with the Hutch gang and knows his life is in danger.

Assistant Commissioner, John O’Driscoll, said: "We intervened where a fully loaded weapon, a beretta pistol with a silencer, was seized where we will allege that it was about to be used to take a person's life."

7.35am: Dublin Gardaí foil attempted shooting in Hutch/Kinahan feud A member of the Hutch gang was believed to be the intended target of a foiled gangland murder plot in Dublin last night.

It is after four men were arrested and a gun and a silencer were seized last night.

Gardaí investigating the activities of organised crime gangs moved in on these four men just after 8pm last night.

Two of them were picked up in Fairview on Dublin’s northside where a gun and a silencer were also recovered.

The other two men were arrested around the same time in the south inner city.

The four men are aged in their 20's and 30's and are believed to have links to the Kinahan crime gang.

They have been arrested for conspiracy to murder and are being held at various garda stations in Dublin.

Assistant Commissioner John O'Driscoll said the operation represented a significant achievement in what he said was the Garda's "ongoing and unrelenting effort" to tackle organised crime gangs and their "total disregard" for human life.

Mr O'Driscoll added: "I continue to be heartened and assured by the level of absolute commitment and 'top drawer' professionalism and, indeed, bravery exhibited over and over again by the personnel within the Garda Siochana who are assigned to the difficult tasks associated with the operational activity involved."