Man arrested in connection with attempted murder of convicted drug dealer
Gardaí have arrested a man on suspicion of the attempted murder of Limerick crime lord Christy Keane.
The suspect was arrested late last night in the Limerick area.
The man, aged in his 30s, is being questioned under Section 50 of the Offences Against the State Act.
He can be held for up to seven days without charge.
Convicted drugs boss Christy Keane is in a "serious but stable condition" at University Hospital Limerick after been shot four times in the chest and arms yesterday.
Keane, 54, was ambushed by two masked gunmen at 6.40am after he parked his car at the University of Limerick on his way for an early morning workout at the the UL Sports Arena gym.
In 2000, Keane survived another attempt on his life when his former associate Eddie Ryan pulled a gun on him but the weapon jammed. Mr Ryan was shot in a revenge attack by Christy Keane's brother Kieran and their cousin Philip Collopy.
Kieran Keane was murdered in 2002 and Mr Collopy accidentally shot himself in the head as he played the Russian Roulette gun trick at his home in March 2009.
Despite being shot four times, Christy Keane managed to flee his attackers before being found by paramedics, bleeding from four different gunshot wounds.
Gardaí have recovered two handguns after initially locating two burnt out cars believed to have been used by the gunmen.
It's believed the two shooters initially fled UL in a red 132-D-registered Ford Focus hatchback, which had been stolen in Dublin, and later located burnt out in Monaleen.
The gunmen then transferred to a white English registered V70 Volvo Estate, found burnt out in Drombana.
A source said Christy Keane has been transferred from Intensive Care at University Hospital Limerick to a High Dependency ward.
"He has holes in his back and in his chest, so it's not clear if he was shot from behind or from the front. He hasn't spoken about it yet."
"He sustained a serious injury to one of his lungs and he has a bullet lodged under the skin in one of his arms. He probably held up his hands to shield himself from the shots."
"He is incredibly lucky to be alive. These guys have nine lives. I don't know how he survived."
"His wife was distraught at the hospital. She was really worried about him," the source added.
Gardaí are investigating several lines of enquiry, including that Keane was shot by a younger hoodlum aligned to the Ryan gang from Ballynanty.
Christy was jailed for ten years in 2002 for possession of €240,000 worth of cannabis after he was stopped by a Garda while he was hauling a coal bag full of drugs. He was released in 2009 and had kept a low public profile since.
His son Liam is serving ten years in jail for possession of a loaded 9mm automatic Glock pistol -- believed to be the same type of weapon were used in the shooting of his father this morning.
A gang of new generation families with links to the notorious Limerick feud -- that erupted in 2000 with the deaths of Eddie Ryan, Kieran Keane and Johnny Ryan -- are determined to be seen as the new breed of gangland criminal in Limerick and have been behind the shooting.
Given the demise of the Dundon gang, younger criminals have been waging a turf war over the past six months, according to security sources.
Over the past four years, Gardaí have successfully kept a tight lid on the feud, however security sources now fear recriminations for Christy Keane's attempted murder.
