Gardaí find rifle used in sniper attack on officers

LIMERICK gardaí believe a rifle found in searches in Southill was the gun used by a sniper who opened fire on detectives last Sunday.

And it emerged yesterday that members of a family linked to the shooting have left for a holiday in Turkey.

The rifle, along with ammunition, was one of five guns recovered in a huge search operation in the city on Tuesday.

Supt Frank O’Brien, of Roxboro Road Station, said the gun had been sent for ballistic tests.

He said: “At this stage we believe that it may have been the gun used in Sunday’s attack.”

Ammunition found is compatible with the gun.

Supt O’Brien said: “We are very pleased with the outcome of Tuesday’s operation and any time you can take deadly weapons out of the reach of these people it’s a good day.”

Gardaí obtained more than 45 warrants to search various locations in Southill.

Up to 60 uniformed and armed gardaí took part in the search and were backed up by a Garda helicopter and the divisional dog unit.

Following Sunday’s shooting there is growing concern among uniformed unarmed gardaí who work in areas such as Southill, the Garda Representative Association (GRA) in Limerick said yesterday.

The shooting incident last Sunday will be discussed by the GRA at a meeting in Rathkeale today.

Kevin McCarthy, who represents Limerick city gardaí on the divisional GRA committee, said: “There was a determined effort to shoot two armed detectives, there is no doubt about that. If these people can do that with armed members of the force, how vulnerable are our unarmed members working in the area.

“This poses a new threat to them with this new step up in violence towards gardaí. After all gardaí in Limerick are working in an environment which accounts for 25% of all illegal shooting incidents in the State.

“Obviously we can’t tolerate ‘no go’ areas, but we must address the concerns of our members. The consequences could have been a lot worse. These people are openly flouting the law. We must put down a marker and address it as it is a serious matter.”

Mr McCarthy said they will seek an urgent meeting with garda management in the city to relay their concerns.

Meanwhile, some members of one of the two crime families responsible for the current outbreak of violent feuding in Southill have left the city for a holiday in Turkey.

The family lives at a halting site near Southill.