Tipperary TD Alan Kelly yesterday questioned the Garda Commissioner Drew Harris about a Garda sting operation in which members of an Garda Siochana were involved in an operation that sold guns to the young man who died in a shooting incident in Carlow on June 1st.
Evan Fitzgerald had appeared in court last year with two others on firearms offences, and had been due to appear in court in connection with the charges again last week.
At the Oireachtas Justice Committee, Deputy Kelly questioned Commissioner Harris about the guns Mr Fitzgerald had purchased from the dark web. The Commissioner confirmed that Garda were the ones making what he called “a controlled delivery of guns and ammunition” and said it is “a very sensitive police methodology.” The Commissioner also confirmed that the new Garda supervisory body known as Fiosrú, which replaces GSOC, had reviewed the case and found no cause for any further action. Deputy Kelly is concerned that Garda had agreed to bail in the case last year and questions if the events of June 1st would have taken place if Garda had taken a different approach in the case.
Deputy Kelly also expressed concern that the Ombudsman’s decision was delivered on Friday, June 6 which he calls “the quickest thing that’s ever been turned around by them or their predecessors.”
