Cartel killer 'Fat' Freddie Thompson's close associate quizzed over city centre shooting

The young man, who is in his 20s, was lifted on Monday night over the attack on Wednesday, January 19 when several shots were fired at two men in a vehicle at 11.45am on Margaret Kennedy Road in Dublin 8.

Gardai rushed to the scene and found that while there were no injuries reported, these involved in the shooting had already fled in a car.

“At approximately 11.45am gardaí received reports of a firearm being discharged at Donore Ave, Dublin 8,” gardai said.

“It’s understood those involved had fled the scene in a car on arrival of gardaí.

"There are currently no reports of any injuries.”

It has since emerged that one of the suspects for the shocking is a well-known associate of Thompson, from Dublin's south inner city, who is serving a life sentence following his 2018 conviction for the murder of David Douglas.

The youngster, who has already served time for killing a man has been identified as the shooter while another man, believed to have been his getaway driver, was also arrested.

Gardai said that to date, three people in total had been arrested and detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act in connection with this incident.

"All three have since been released," gardai said. "Files are currently being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions."

Thompson was sent to Portlaoise in 2018 after he was convicted of the July 2016 Kinahan gang murder of former criminal Daithi Douglas (55) in central Dublin.

Thompson, a cousin of Kinahan gang mobster Liam Byrne, was a major player in the ruthless cartel, led by Daniel Kinahan as it staged a brutal war against the Hutch gang in a bloody feud that has now left 18 men dead.

Thompson became a key player in the war against the Hutch mob as he had previous experience of the Crumlin gang feud a decade earlier that saw 15 men murdered.

He is now locked up for life in the top security Portlaoise Prison in Co Laois after he was caged for Mr Douglas’s murder.

However, since his jailing he has proved a thorn in the side of authorities and in November of last year brought High Court action over conditions of his detention in Limerick Prison.

He claimed that as soon as he arrived in Limerick Prison he was confined to a padded cell, without his clothing or personal items and isolated from other prisoners.

He also claimed that the authorities refused to answer questions about the conditions of his detention raised by his solicitors.

In 2019 he made formal complaints about the conduct of some prison officers in Portlaoise towards him

Thompson claims that those complaints were upheld in a report compiled by the person who investigated his allegations

However, he claimed that neither he nor his solicitor have been given a copy of the investigator's report

After he made the complaints, he also claimed that he was subjected to further mistreatment at the hands of prison officers in Portlaoise.