Garda experts examine seized phones after gangland murder

GARDA experts are examining mobile phones they have seized following the gangland murder of drug dealer John Clarke on Thursday morning.

They are hoping to glean clues from traffic on the phones as to possible suspects behind the fatal shooting, the 12th gangland murder so far this year. John Clarke, also known as BJ, was shot at least 12 times as he sat in his car in the Brookwood Abbey apartment complex in Artane, north Dublin, at around 3am on Thursday.

The 21-year-old lived in a number of addresses, including an apartment at the complex, which he shared with his girlfriend and their six-month-old baby. Clarke was with two associates in his 7-series 2007 BMW in an underground car park at the complex when at least one gunman opened fire with a semi-automatic handgun, riddling the car with around 15 shots.

While the gunman was targeting Clarke, the dead man’s associates were also hit, but were not seriously injured. Gardaí suspect the killers had compromised a gate to the car park the previous week to ensure they could immediately exit the place.

Gardaí yesterday said they are keeping an open mind as to possible suspects and motives. Garda sources said the victim had scuffles with a number of criminals and had received death threats.

Gardaí said they told Clarke of these threats, but he ignored them. “Confrontations are part of the existence of these guys. They survive on their reputations,” said one source.

Gardaí carried out a number of searches on Thursday on people who were linked to these threats and other individuals known to have been feuding with him.

Sources said they had gathered a number of mobile phones and were in the process of analysing them to check for traffic flows and see whether it might identify possible suspects and who may have been in contact with the victim. Gardaí are also following another line of inquiry in a bid to trace the identity of the killers, but asked for details to be kept confidential at this time.

In relation to the two youths, aged 19 and 20, who were injured, gardaí would only confirm they had been interviewed, but it is understood they appear to be helping detectives. Clarke was considered a significant drug dealer and, despite his young age, had his own men working for him. He was in turn linked with a large-scale drug dealer based in north Dublin.

Clarke had been embroiled in a serious feud with another gang in the Coolock area and had been shot last March during one incident.