Man found 'executed' in park

A man found shot dead on waste ground in Dublin was tonight thought to be the latest victim of gangland feuding in the city.

The dead man, who has still to be formally identified, was discovered in Finglas, close to an area of drugs gang activity.

His head was covered and had at least one gunshot wound – indicating an execution-style killing – and he was believed to be a local man in his 20s, who had been missing from home since early this week.

The body was located this afternoon by a garda search team in a part of Finglas known as the Trench.

Gardaí set up a murder investigation headquarters in the area, and issued a plea for assistance from the public – though acknowledging that local people might be afraid to approach them.

Detective Inspector Brian Sherry said: “We can understand the fears of people because of the amount of deaths in the area and shootings.

“People are automatically going to be afraid of this – but we need their help, and we are appealing to them to come to us.

“Without their help, we cannot beat these gangs. We have armed patrols in the area and we are combating them.

“We are bringing the fight to them, but we need back-up from the people here. We are willing to meet them in any part of the country and they can guarantee their safety will be ensured.”

More than a dozen people have died in gangland murders in Dublin over the past two years and there have been a number of other shootings, most linked to rows over drug dealing territory.

The latest victim was thought to have been shot dead at the spot where his body was found.