The Continuity IRA, a dissident spin-off of the dormant Irish Republican Army (IRA), today claimed responsibility for the shooting at a Dublin hotel boxing event on Friday, which left one dead and two injured.
In a statement transmitted by telephone to the BBC in Belfast, the terrorist group, opposed to the Northern Irish peace process, assured that this action is part of its campaign against “drug traffickers and organized crime”, while warning of there will be more attacks.
The Continuity IRA (CIRA) confirmed that the assault was carried out by six of its members, five of whom broke into the North Dublin Regency Hotel dressed as policemen and women, and killed 33-year-old David Byrne , who was also booked by the authorities for his alleged relationship with organized crime.
According to the note, Byrne had been implicated in the death of Alan Ryan, leader of the dissident faction Authentic IRA (RIRA) in the north of the Irish capital, he was shot and killed in September 2012 allegedly by criminals related to drug trafficking. .
“Although he was not a member of our organization, we are not going to sit back and allow drug traffickers and criminals to attack Republicans,” CIRA said in the statement.
In the telephone message, a spokesman for that IRA split – in truce since 1998 and in favor of the democratic process – assured that “CIRA units have received authorization” from his leadership to carry out “more military operations” similar to the one developed. on Friday in the capital of the Republic of Ireland.
The Irish Police (Garda) have since maintained checkpoints throughout the city to try to apprehend terrorists and fearing reprisals from organized crime gangs.
At first, law enforcement officials considered the possibility that Friday’s shooting was a settling of scores between rival gangster gangs operating in Ireland and on the Costa del Sol (southeastern Spain).
However, the AK-47 machine guns used by the assailants in the hotel were already reminiscent of the attacks perpetrated by the IRA during the past Northern Irish conflict and its dissident splits.
The two wounded, one of whom has been discharged from the hospital where he was admitted, are believed to be friends of the dead man.
According to the latest police version, five of the attackers entered the hotel -three dressed as policemen, one a woman with a brown wig and the other with a cap- during the weight session of the fighters prior to the combat, which was to be held on Saturday but that was eventually suspended.
The sixth member of the gang was allegedly waiting outside in a van, which was later found on fire in another part of Dublin.
The Garda has announced that it will contact Interpol and Europol to expand the investigation of the case, as well as its agents in Spain.
The event has attracted special attention because it happened before an audience of 300 people and because of the robbers’ costumes.
A video posted on the internet shows the moment when one of the boxers leaves the podium after being examined, after which the shots are heard and the boxer and the rest of the attendees flee the room in terror.
The promoter of this sporting event, announced as a “Clash of the Titans”, is the MGM company, which owns a gym in the tourist town of Puerto Banús, in Malaga (southern Spain).
The star match of this boxing event was the one planned by Irish Jamie Kavanagh and Portuguese Joao Bento to decide the WBO European title in the lightweight category. EFE
Terrorist group claims shooting during boxing weight session
