Mob boss Mr Flashy’s gang have vowed that a social media warning to kill James Whelan last month “wasn’t a threat, it was a promise.”
The Irish Mirror has seen a vile social media taunt in which associates of the Finglas mobster are openly mocking the now deceased Whelan, 29, in a post captioned: “What did them bullets taste like James?”
The shocking social media post, which features video footage of a man firing a gun at a photoshopped picture of Whelan, came a day after the young criminal was executed in Deanstown Avenue in Finglas on Sunday morning.
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The video also features news coverage of Whelan’s murder as well as a screenshot of a previous social media post made in February, in which the mob threatened to take the gangster’s life.
The post, which said “ask Wheela what size is he in a wooden box”, was made on February 10 - and now the gang are claiming in this new video that it "wasn’t a threat, it was a promise".
Meanwhile, associates of Whelan have separately vowed revenge on Mr Flashy’s mob - with associates again taking to social media to make their voices heard. One anonymous post features a picture of Whelan with the caption: “We will finish this for you bro once and for all.”
Amid the social media bravado, it is understood that gardai do fear an immediate escalation in this spiralling gangland feud - and there are legitimate fears of further violence. The online war of words comes after Whelan was shot dead in what gardai suspect was an attack on Flashy’s gang gone wrong.
Sources say Whelan had moments earlier tried to carry out a petrol bomb attack on a house in north Dublin that he believed was connected to Mr Flashy – head of the notorious Gucci crime and drugs gang.
But he was caught in the act - and ran for his life before being blasted in the back by a gunman wielding a submachine gun.
Sources say gardai now fear an all-out gangland war between Mr Flashy’s mob and associates of Whelan - who was well connected in the criminal underworld. The feud between both sides has been at boiling point ever since an associate of Mr Flashy was abducted, beaten up and dumped in a laneway in Finglas last month.
Meanwhile, the Irish Mirror has learned that gardai have identified the suspected shooter in Whelan’s murder - and they are seeking to speak to him as soon as possible.
The young thug, who is a close associate of Mr Flashy, is well known to gardai and is now considered to be the chief suspect. It is believed he has gone to ground since the killing, which is the first gangland murder of the year.
James Whelan was himself well known to gardai - and had 57 previous convictions. He was the grandson of infamous gangster ‘Cotton Eye’ Joe Delaney, who served over two decades behind bars for the brutal 1996 abduction and killing of criminal Mark Dwyer.
He was also pals with Lee Byrne, who has no ties to criminaility. In a social media post on Monday, Lee, the son of Kinahan cartel crime boss Liam Byrne, posted a picture of himself with Whelan in a gushing tribute to the slain gangster.
The post, which features Lee arm-in-arm with Whelan, is captioned: “May God rest your soul my brother. I love you always. Thank you for everything.”
The killing is the first murder in the feud between the Flashy mob and associates of Whelan – but there has been a lot of trouble between the two factions for months. In February, we revealed how pals of Whelan were taunting Flashy to come out of hiding following a brutal abduction and attack on an associate.
The man was attacked in broad daylight – before footage of his beating was shared online. And in one chilling threat posted on social media, someone laying claim to the recent abduction even writes that the “next person we catch is getting whacked.”
Gardai believe the attack was directly linked to an escalating feud between a gang of young thugs who have turned on ‘Mr Flashy’ himself - and want to take over his turf, including Whelan.
The row further escalated after claims that a young rival had stolen an expensive watch belonging to Flashy’s mob. Following that attack, a grenade was thrown at the home of an innocent family - in a botched attempt to target Mr Flashy himself.
Since then there were a number of tit-for-tat incidents which culminated in Whelan’s attempt to petrol bomb a property connected to Mr Flashy over the weekend. It was that attack that cost Whelan his life, and has now escalated the feud to the point where further bloodshed is feared.
In a press release, gardai have appealed for anyone with information about the killing to come forward.
“Gardaí are appealing for anyone with information on this fatal shooting to contact investigating Gardaí at Finglas Garda Station,” a garda spokesperson said.
“An Garda Síochána are also appealing for any person in the area of Deanstown Avenue, Deanstown Green, Deanstown Road, Cardiffsbridge Road, Dublin 11 or any adjacent/ surrounding roads between 9.00pm Saturday 2nd April and 04.30am on Sunday 3rd April 2022, particularly the drivers of any vehicle or other roads users who may have video footage (Dashcam or other form…) to contact investigating Gardaí.”
Investigating Gardaí can be contacted at Finglas Garda Station 01 666 7500, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.
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