Latest news with #darknet
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Irish Times
Garda inquiry into Evan Fitzgerald followed tip-off Irish person trying to buy guns on darknet
The Garda investigation into 22-year-old Evan Fitzgerald over his alleged efforts to buy guns on the darknet started after an international law enforcement agency provided information to the force , it is understood. That intelligence, which appears to have come through Interpol , suggested an unknown person in the Republic was on the darknet trying to buy guns. Acting on the information, the Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau established contact with the Irish suspect. It is understood that undercover gardaí made contact with the person, on the darknet, while posing as a criminal with guns for sale. The Irish Times understands agreement was reached that weapons would be sold, with cash paid and the guns delivered by undercover officers in an investigative process known as 'controlled delivery'. READ MORE However, after delivery of the firearms – a machine gun and pistol, with ammunition – a Garda interception was made. The guns and bullets were seized and Fitzgerald was charged with four offences following the sting operation early last year. A search of a property linked to him yielded an assortment of ammunition, as well as powders that can be used to make explosive devices. That discovery resulted in Fitzgerald being charged with nine further offences. Fitzgerald, of Portrushen, Kiltegan, Co Wicklow, was facing 13 charges and was at liberty on bail when he went to the Fairgreen Shopping Centre in Carlow town last Sunday week, firing several shots and taking his own life. The gun he used, a stolen shotgun legally held by another person, was unrelated to the undercover operation that resulted in his arrest early last year. The guns used by the undercover gardaí in the 2024 sting operation were taken from Garda stores. They had been decommissioned and the ammunition was non-functioning. When arrested in early 2024, Mr Fitzgerald made admissions. His first court appearance was told that there was no suspicion he wanted the guns to further any involvement in organised crime. Instead, he had acted in a 'naive' way in trying to buy guns for recreational shooting. Concerns have been raised by Labour TD Alan Kelly and Senator Michael McDowell, the former minister for justice, about the manner of Fitzgerald's arrest and the charges against him. Both have questioned why an alternative, unspecified, legal option was not used to deal with him, rather than his being charged with possession of the guns and ammunition. In reply to queries, Garda headquarters said it could not comment on a specific case. However, commenting in general terms, it said gardaí use 'a range of internationally recognised investigative techniques when tackling serious crimes such as drug dealing and procuring of firearms, either of which could then be used to cause significant harm to the public. 'One of these is controlled deliveries. In controlled deliveries any material used is made safe by the law enforcement agency before being used, [for example], firearms are deactivated.' On Wednesday, Mr Kelly and Mr McDowell raised the case in the Dáil and Seanad, asking about court reports that suggested gardaí had told the judge in the case that they were 'investigating' how Fitzgerald and others acquired the guns. 'The guns were actually given to him by An Garda Síochána ... how could they say in court that they didn't know where the guns came from?' asked Mr Kelly. In the Seanad, Mr McDowell said: 'I am also very deeply concerned that by informing the court that the gardaí were still investigating by whom the weapons in question were sold; the court was actively misled.'
Irish Times
27-05-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Garda suspended over alleged bid to hire person to kill former partner
A member of the Garda is under investigation on suspicion he tried to hire a person online to carry out an arson attack on the home of his former partner while she was present. It is alleged the Garda member wanted the woman to be killed in the fire. The investigation, which is being carried out by the Garda's Anti-Corruption Unit, is focused on communications on the darknet sent by a person based in Ireland to another darknet user who was supposedly offering to carry out violent attacks for payment. However, while a sum of bitcoin was paid to the person offering violence as a service, they then ceased communication with the darknet user based in Ireland. The bitcoin, a relatively modest sum, was lost in what appears to have been a scam. READ MORE The darknet is essentially a secretive and covert part of the internet – a private network – where all users go by pseudonyms. In response to queries, Garda Headquarters confirmed a member of the force had been suspended but made no further comment on the continuing investigation or the precise nature of the inquiry. 'As part of an ongoing investigation being conducted by the Garda Anti-Corruption Unit into alleged serious criminality, a garda based in Dublin is suspended from duty,' it said. The Irish Times understands detectives began a criminal investigation into the alleged plot to pay for a fatal arson attack after receiving a tip-off about activity between two parties on the darknet. Even though the darknet user who believed they were paying for an arson attack to be carried out fell victim to a scammer, the messages they sent, trying to organise an attack, appeared to be genuine. While the Garda member under investigation has been suspended from duty, he has not been arrested and no findings have been reached against him. Because the efforts to solicit a violent attack in exchange for payment were made on the darknet, the case poses technical challenges. Gardaí must first investigate if the Garda member authored and sent the messages rather than another party. It was not until the technical aspects of the investigation were complete that any arrests could be made. However, the matter is being treated as a priority case and the investigation was expected to progress quickly. Establishing the identity or location of darknet users is much more difficult compared with the conventional internet. Users access the darknet via a special browser, rather than the mainstream routes such as Microsoft Edge or Chrome.
