Garda fears of a 'planned and premeditated' revenge gangland attack

Gardaí believe the Hutch gang are taking their time before they carry out a “planned and premeditated” revenge attack on the rival Kinahan cartel.

Senior sources said that leaders of the gang will consult with criminal associates, including in Britain and Europe, as part of their preparations to kill again.

The Hutch gang has its core in Dublin’s north inner city, but boasts long-established connections with serious gangs abroad.

They are also conscious that the larger Kinahan cartel, which boasts affiliated gangs throughout the city, including on the south side, is planning to commit further murders.

Garda sources said it is “very difficult to predict” what form the murders would take — given the “shocking nature” of the Regency Hotel attack and the “brazen” nature of the retaliation.

Three people — two on the Hutch side and one from the Kinahan network — have so far died.

Last September, Gary Hutch was shot dead in Spain at the suspected hand of Kinahan gang members, over a drug dispute.

In revenge, in what was a well-planned, although flawed, military-style assault at the Regency Hotel, associates of Gary Hutch shot dead David Byrne, a senior member of the Kinahan gang.

* Warning: Some viewers may find this video extremely distressing.

Their main intended target was Daniel Kinahan, the elder son of cartel leader Christopher Kinahan, who escaped unharmed. That attack included three men, dressed as gardaí, brandishing automatic weapons.

In retaliation, just three days later, the Kinahan gang shot dead Edward Hutch, uncle of Gary, at his home in the north inner city.

“No one could have expected the shocking nature of the Regency attack and no one would have thought the revenge would have been so quick and so brazen,” said one senior garda source, “so it’s very difficult to predict what will happen.”

Another senior source said they believed the Hutch’s were preparing for retaliation and would spend time and effort doing so.

“The big fear is the Hutchs will lash back,” he said. “They want to, but they won’t lash back until they are well prepared to do it. It will be planned, meditated.”