Fresh fears of revenge attack over Christmas for Offaly arson double murder amid prison row suspects’ ‘wall of silence’

Tadhg’s granny Pauline remains in a serious condition in hospital after suffering burn injuries
GARDAI are on high alert over fears of a retaliation attack ­during the Christmas period following the double murder of a boy and his grandaunt.

We can also reveal how investigators have been met by a “wall of silence” by those linked to a prison row hours before a petrol bomb attack which claimed the lives of Tadhg Farrell, four, and Mary Holt, 60.

Tadhg’s granny Pauline remains in a serious condition in hospital after suffering burn injuries at the targeted home in Castleview Park in Edenderry, Co Offaly on Saturday, December 6.

No one occupying the property was involved in crime, and they were completely innocent.

However, gardai suspect the attack is linked to a man ­currently in prison and known to the victims.

This man, in his late 20s, has been involved in a ­long-running dispute with a Midlands gang, who are the prime suspects in the double murder.

Earlier on the day of the arson horror, officers believe this man ordered a behind bars attack on a rival lag who is linked to the crime group.

A major line of inquiry is that the inmate who was assaulted made contact with his associates who later petrol bombed the Edenderry house.

Although there is a separate assault causing harm investigation into the prison attack, sources say it heavily overlaps with the murder investigation.

Five men, including the inmate known to the Holts, were arrested and questioned.

We have also learned cops have spoken to the rival inmate who was assaulted, but he was not arrested.

However, cops have been met with a “wall of silence” by each of the criminals.

There is a real fear that associates of the man known to the victims of the petrol bomb attack will attempt to get revenge over the Christmas period.

A source told The Irish Sun: “This is a very complex investigation but it is also a very live situation.

“There are people who are associated with the men in prison on both sides of this dispute who are clearly very dangerous individuals.

“When you’re dealing with volatile criminals, they try to take the law into their own hands.

“This is their way of life. They have no respect for those who enforce the law, and obviously this ­dispute has escalated to new levels because there has been the loss of innocent lives.

“The gardai are doing everything in their power to ensure any chance of retaliation will be stopped while at the same time, they are working to progress the murder investigation.”

PERSONS OF INTEREST

The Irish Sun can also reveal gardai have established that a burnt out Kia car found in Kildare was the vehicle used by the thugs who carried out the petrol bomb attack to travel to Edenderry and then flee the scene.

Officers have a number of persons of interest linked to the Midlands crime gang.

This includes a young teenage boy and a man in his late 20s who was closely linked to the one-time perceived leader of the group before his death a number of years ago.

The pair were among targets in raids by gardai last week in Kildare and Offaly, in which clothes, phones and other items were seized.

EVIDENCE TRAWL

However no arrests have yet been made directly linked to the murder investigation.

Detectives are still trawling through the evidence, such as CCTV and phones, while they are being supported by the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

Footage of the petrol bomb attack captured two hooded thugs entering the garden of the home in Castleview Park.

One smashed the front window with a metal bar, before the other yob ignited the missile and fired it on top of Tadhg and Mary who were in the front room at the time.

The pair then fled in the Kia car which was parked nearby — which is suspected to have been driven by a third criminal.