A notorious criminal, aged in his 40s and hailing from Dublin, who was previously incarcerated for a homicide, has been apprehended by the Gardaí on suspicions of undertaking a wave of erratic armed burglaries throughout Dublin of late.
The man with an extensive criminal history, inclusive of violent thefts, is suspected of threatening staff members violently while brandishing a knife and syringe, during his criminal activities. Following an examination of CCTV footage from the affected businesses, Gardaí identified the apprehended individual as the primary suspect.
Garda headquarters released a statement on Wednesday evening, stating: “In response to the announcement of seven armed thefts of corner shops and petrol stations in locations such as Rathmines, South Circular Road, Clondalkin and Ronanstown over recent times, an investigation unit was set up at Clondalkin Garda station, led by a senior investigation officer.”
The ongoing investigation has seen contributions from Gardaí stationed in Ballyfermot, Tallaght and Clondalkin.
The suspect was taken into custody in Tallaght on Wednesday, following an operation executed by Clondalkin’s divisional detective and community liaison teams, supported by the local Gardaí in Tallaght.
On Wednesday evening, the man was interrogated at a Dublin Garda station under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, which allows a suspect to be questioned for a maximum of 24 hours without pressing charges.
The individual, a habitual drug user, was previously sentenced to imprisonment for killing a man and has an extensive history of violent offences and robberies, with over 50 known previous convictions.