Alleged Kinahan gang crime figure being flown to Ireland after UAE extradition
An alleged senior figure in the Kinahan organised crime group is being flown back to Ireland after being extradited from the United Arab Emirates.
It is understood Sean McGovern, who was named in the Special Criminal Court in Dublin as one of the leaders of the Irish criminal organisation, was handed over to gardai in Dubai earlier on Wednesday.
McGovern is wanted in Ireland in connection with the murder of Noel Kirwan, who was shot in Dublin in the feud between the Hutch and Kinahan criminal gangs in December 2016, despite having no connections to criminality.
He is being transported back to Ireland in an Irish military plan. The flight is required to stop to refuel on the journey and is not expected back in Dublin until late Thursday afternoon.
He is expected to be formally arrested when the aircraft lands at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel. It is understood he will be taken from there to the Special Criminal Court in Dublin.
McGovern was arrested in the UAE last October after an Interpol red notice was issued.
Shortly after his arrest, Ireland finalised an agreement on an extradition treaty with the United Arab Emirates.
In 2021, the US authorities imposed sanctions against McGovern and six other alleged senior members of the Kinahan crime gang as part of a bid to target their financial operations.
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