The incident was first reported as a routine car accident southwest of Limerick on the evening of June 8. Three cars had collided at an intersection, and a dead man was found in the back seat of one of the cars. The man was wearing a balaclava and a loaded gun was lying at his feet.
The deceased was identified as a Swedish man in his 30s and, according to police, the driver was also Swedish. Irish media reports that the man left a mobile phone in the car when he fled, and police are said to know who they are looking for.
Ongoing conflict
The police theory is that the men had been hired to commit a murder in an ongoing conflict in the area, and that they were on their way to carry it out when the accident occurred, according to media reports. Police believe that the man who fled was helped to stay hidden by his clients. It is unclear whether he is still in the country.
Swedish police are said to have assisted in the investigation.
"The preliminary investigation is being conducted in Ireland and we are assisting if necessary. We are therefore referring all questions to the Irish police at this time," writes Rebecka Sallroth, acting head of serious crimes in the Stockholm North police area, in a comment to TT.
The Irish police have declined to comment on the investigation for TT.
Stands out
Conor Lally, a journalist at The Irish Times, says the incident stands out. The hiring of foreign hitmen for assassination missions in Ireland is extremely unusual.
And the fact that this man died in a car accident, on his way to carry out the shooting, has really shocked people. There has been enormous media coverage of the case and the articles that we have written have often been the most read for days.
The deceased man was under investigation for a crime in Sweden and was detained for a short time in March this year.
