Gardai are investigating a gun attack on a Ballymun flat in Dublin early yesterday. A woman and a man in the flat were uninjured when two shotgun blasts were fired through the front door at about 1.20 a.m. The attacker ran off. Local gardai said yesterday they were satisfied there was no political or serious criminal involvement.
Meanwhile, a 36-year-old Dublin man, Mr Sean Buckley, who was shot and seriously injured in a Dolphin's Barn gun attack on Friday night, is reported to be recovering in hospital.
Mr Buckley, who has a lengthy criminal record, was hit by three bullets fired by a gunman who approached him as he walked along South Circular Road.
One bullet struck him in the side of the face and another narrowly missed his heart.
Gardai believe the attack was carried out by a local criminal figure who was closely associated with the Dublin criminal Martin Cahill, shot dead in August, 1994.
The local criminal was himself shot and seriously injured last year.
Gardai believe a feud has been going on between Cahill's associates in the past two years, but are uncertain about its origins.
Mr Buckley recently reported to gardai in south Dublin that he feared an attack.
Gardai in north Dublin are expected to question members of a criminal family from the Finglas West area about the murder last Thursday morning of the minor criminal figure Mr John Dillon. He was shot dead at the front door of his home in Glenties Drive, Finglas.
It is believed Mr Dillon had largely ended his criminal career but became involved in a robbery with members of the family last year because of debt.
He is thought to have been shot because he had refused to provide false alibi evidence for a member of the family suspected of involvement in an armed robbery.
There were between 20 and 30 shootings in Dublin last year, in the course of which two men were killed.
While the majority of the Dublin shootings are believed to have involved only ordinary criminals, gardai suspect a number involved IRA figures acting as vigilantes against reported drug-dealers.