Criminal who supplied Josh Itseli murder weapon allegedly ‘caught with drugs’

A criminal identified as supplying the assault rifle used to kill Josh Itseli is in jail in Britain – after he was allegedly caught with drugs there.

Sources have confirmed that gardaí have identified two criminal brothers who they believe provided the deadly AR15 used in the killing and have also established one is now in custody in Britain.

“He has been locked up over there for weeks,” a source revealed last night.

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The Irish Mirror has learned that the two suspects are brothers from Dublin – and they fled Ireland with the suspected killer days after Josh was shot dead in the city just under a month ago.

Sources have told us the pair, who are regarded as dangerous but low level criminals, left Ireland with the man who gardaí believe accidentally shot dead Josh (20) in Drimnagh in the south of the city on May 6.

That thug, who was an associate of Josh, was arrested shortly after the incident – but was released without charge two days later and promptly left Ireland.

But we have learned that he was accompanied by two brothers who gardaí believe supplied him with the AR15 minutes before Josh was shot as he sat in a car on Drimnagh’s Knocknarea Road.

Sources say the three packed up their belongings into a car and sped to Dublin Port – where they boarded a ferry to Holyhead in Wales within days of the shooting.

But their car was stopped by North Wales Police once the ferry docked in Holyhead. Officers searched the vehicle and allegedly found the drugs – and arrested one of the brothers as he was driving the car.

Sources say he was later taken into custody – and was still there last night.

It’s understood his brother and the suspected gunman were released without charge and are believed to be still in the United Kingdom. Gardaí have been mounting a major investigation since the killing of Josh, who was both in Ireland but whose parents are from the Congo.

They now know who was involved in the incident – as well as the names of the two brothers who are suspected of providing the AR15. And they also now believe that Josh was shot accidentally by one of his associates after he was involved in a foiled pipe bomb attack.

Gardaí have established that Josh was in a car with three criminals when it was rammed as they were on their way to mount a pipe bomb attack on two brothers in the Drimnagh area on the night of May 6.

Their targets – who are not the brothers who supplied the rifle – are regarded as minor criminals who have a reputation for attacking foreigners in the city, as well as stealing bikes.

But it’s believed they fell foul of the crime gang that included Josh Itseli – who was on bail facing two charges of drug dealing at the time of his death.

That gang decided to launch a pipe bomb attack – but their targets somehow got wind they were on their way to them. One theory being examined is that the Itseli gang sent a video threat to their targets.

The brothers then decided to ambush the gang – and rammed a car two of them were travelling in in the Drimnagh area just after midnight on Monday, May 6. Joshua Itseli was shot dead in that incident.

But sources have confirmed there was no evidence the brothers were armed and detectives believe Joshua was accidentally shot by one his own side.

Josh’s three associates – who were wearing body armour – fled the area after the killing, but were arrested by armed gardaí. They were all later released without charge – including the serious criminal suspected of firing the fatal shots.

The two brothers who ambushed them fled the area in a van, which was later found in the Tallaght area of Dublin. Although the trio were released without charge, a file is now being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Sources say gardaí are confident the DPP will direct that all three be charged over the incident. Josh was buried in Mulhuddart in west Dublin after a funeral mass on May 25.

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