Five arrests made as Blackpool murder inquiry continues

Four men and a woman have been arrested for questioning about the murder of a former leading dissident republican in Cork.

Detectives arrested the men at addresses in Blarney and the Mallow Road area of Cork at around 6.30am this morning.

One man in his 30s, who was arrested in the Mallow Road area, is being held at the Bridewell Garda Station while two other men, in their 20s, are being detained at Mayfield and Gurranebraher Garda Stations.

A woman in her 20s and a man in his 70s were also arreted in the Blarney area shortly afterwards at around 8am and both are being questioned at Togher Garda Station about Aidan O'Driscoll's murder
 
The arrests are the first by gardai for the murder of the 37-year-old who served for a period as Chief of Staff of the Real IRA.

The father of two from Glen Heights in Ballyvolane was shot  dead as he walked home from work along Commons Road in Blackpool at around 5pm on December 7th last.
 
Gardaí have been able to trace the purchase of all three cars linked to the murder in the months running up to the incident and they believe his killers are all from Cork and part of a dissident republican group.

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