Gardai were on alert last night after an infamous mob boss escaped a gun attack as he sat in the back of a taxi.
The Star has confirmed the criminal known as Mr Flashy ran for his life after the taxi carrying him and a close associate in north Dublin was shot up yesterday afternoon.
Now officers fear the attack will mean a full scale war erupting between Flashy and his enemies – in a feud that has already led to one murder.
Read more: Two men arrested after attempted shooting outside park in Finglas
“Things are going to get really bad,” a source said last night.
It’s understood the associate who was with Flashy in the taxi in Finglas is the chief suspect for the gun murder – and detectives believe the attack was revenge for that killing.
Officers had been braced for retaliation over the Flashy mob’s murder of rival James Whelan in Finglas in April.
They believe the victim’s allies tried to gun down the mob boss and his key sidekick in yesterday’s attack.
Flashy, who is regarded as one of Dublin’s most dangerous gangsters, was targeted as he was driven in a taxi along Tolka Valley Road in Finglas at around 3pm yesterday.
Gardai rushed to the scene after they were told shots had been fired – but when they got there, the people who were targeted had fled the area.
Read more: Innocent relatives of Finglas mob boss Mr Flashy return home weeks after petrol bomb feud attack
They do not believe anyone was injured in the shooting.
The scene of the shooting was sealed off last night as Gardai hunted for the would-be killers – and it’s understood two allies of Whelan were later detained.
Whelan (29) was gunned down in Finglas at the start of April.
He was shot after he petrol bombed a property connected to his enemy in Finglas early in the morning of April 3.
Whelan carried out that attack in revenge for a house linked to an associate of his being shot up hours earlier.
Sources say Whelan was seen by Flashy’s men when he carried out the petrol bomb attack and at least one of them chased him.
He ran for his life but a key ally of Flashy pulled out a gun and fired a single shot at Whelan – hitting him in the back.
He was mortally wounded and died at the scene, despite the initial efforts of bystanders and then paramedics to save him.
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