Gardaí have arrested a prolific offender, who served a prison sentence for killing a man, on suspicion of carrying out a series of chaotic armed robberies across Dublin in recent days.
The suspect, a Dubliner in his 40s, has a very large number of previous convictions, including violent robberies.
The incidents involved violent threats against staff , during which gardaí suspect a knife and syringe were produced. Gardaí studied CCTV images from some of the businesses and identified the arrested man as the chief suspect.
“Following reports of seven armed robberies of convenience stores and petrol stations in Rathmines, South Circular Road, Clondalkin and Ronanstown over a recent period, an incident room was established in Clondalkin Garda station under the supervision of a senior investigating officer,” Garda headquarters said in a statement on Wednesday evening.
The investigation has involved gardaí from Ballyfermot, Tallaght and Clondalkin stations.
The suspect was detained in Tallaght on Wednesday in an operation carried out by the Clondalkin divisional detective and community engagement units backed by Tallaght gardaí.
The man was being questioned on Wednesday night at a Dublin garda station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, which allows for him to be interviewed for up to 24 hours without charge.
The man was previously jailed for the killing of another person and also has a lengthy record for other violent crimes, including robberies. A chronic drug user, he has a total of more than 50 previous convictions.
