THE MAN WHO died in a shooting incident at a Carlow shopping centre received guns in a controlled delivery by gardaí, the Garda Commissioner has told a Dáil committee.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, speaking at the Oireachtas Justice committee, was questioned about Evan Fitzgerald by both Labour’s Alan Kelly and former Minister for Justice Michael McDowell.

Fitzgerald died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after firing a number of shots inside the Fairgreen Shopping Centre in Carlow on 1 June.

The 22-year-old from Portrushen Upper near Kiltegan, Co Wicklow appeared in court last year after he was arrested by gardaí and charged with offences associated with firearms he allegedly bought on the dark web.

Alan Kelly and Michael McDowell questioned the Garda Commissioner about how Fitzgerald came into possession of these firearms as Drew Harris and his Deputy Commissioners Justin Kelly and Shawna Coxon appeared before the committee. 

During an exchange with Kelly the Commissioner was asked about the “provenance” of the weapons and if the guns were bought on the dark web.

Kelly queried whether it was a “controlled delivery” of guns and ammunition to Fitzgerald. 

“Did undercover gardaí engage face-to-face with this young man prior to this delivery of guns and ammunition?” he asked. 

A ‘controlled delivery’ is a method used by undercover police officers across the world in which a suspect who tries to acquire illicit items is given them by a police officer.

Harris responded: “I would say that controlled delivery is very sensitive police methodology.”

“We use it for both organised crime and for our terrorist defence,” he added.

When questioned at the end of the two-hour hearing by Michael McDowell, Harris expanded on that answer.

“You’ll be aware that controlled delivery is a tactic that’s often used around both firearms and drugs operations.

“So this follows a classic controlled delivery.

“Might I say then that obviously there has been an examination following the terrible incidents of the first of June. We’ve looked to what we knew of this individual beforehand, and I just, I want to be very careful, because he’s been described so many [ways] in the media, but in our interactions with him, he was compliant.

“He complied with his bail conditions up until the first of June, and certainly by his behaviors, we didn’t anticipate the events of the first of June. It was an extraordinary event,” Harris added. 

The Garda Commissioner told the committee that Fiosrú – the office of the Police Ombudsman – examined the controlled delivery to Fitzgerald and determined that there was no issue of concern. 

Far Right

Separately Deputy Commissioner Justin Kelly, in response to a question from Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon, said that counter terror detectives in the Special Detective Unit were examining “violent political extremism” on a full time basis. 

He said that gardaí both on a national and local level are monitoring online activity around protests and specialist training and equipment has been given to gardaí.

Justin Kelly explained that the garda intelligence section were monitoring groups that have connections internationally. 

“To absolutely to your specific question [regarding] the far right. Of course, it’s a huge concern to us, absolutely huge concern to us.

“We have dedicated officers in the special detective unit, our counterterrorism operational unit, and that’s all they do,” he added.