One of the leading gangsters in a vicious feud has been told he will be abducted, tortured and have acid poured in his eyes.
The chilling warning was directed at a thug involved in the murderous drugs turf war in Drogheda, Co Louth.
A security source said last night: “One of the more prominent men in this feud is a dead man walking. The other side can’t wait to get him.
“They have been threatening they will torture him and are going to pour acid into his eyes and then give him back to his family.
“They are very capable of this kind of violence.”
The threat was made before the August 27 execution of Keith Branigan, the first person murdered in the dispute between a criminal mob and a Traveller faction.
The recently-married 29-year-old, who had previous convictions, was not heavily involved in the feud but was a pal of the crime gang’s young boss.
Gardai are understood to be taking the acid threat – made against an associate of that leader by the Traveller crew – extremely seriously.
Sources say the man was targeted following a series of online comments he made against his rivals, mocking one of them, Owen Maguire, over a shooting in July last year which left him paralysed.
One source said: “This man is an absolute psychopath. He has put up footage and taunts on social media and even made a phone call to Maguire while he was recovering in hospital.
“He taunts him the whole time and the other side have had enough. There’s no doubt it has got very personal.
“The other side would be well capable of an attack like this. They will get him eventually, gardai can’t watch him 24/7.”
There is no suggestion Maguire was responsible for the acid threat.
Sources say the deadly feud kicked off when the brother of the criminal gang leader refused to pay a drug debt and was seriously assaulted by the Traveller crew.
A hit was ordered during which Maguire was shot several times but survived.
It ignited a string of attacks which included dozens of petrol bombings, assaults, an abduction and, ultimately, the murder of Branigan as he installed decking outside his mobile home in Clogherhead.
The source added: “What we have is a group of people who were associated with each other until that [Maguire] shooting.
“Branigan was a much more professional hit in terms of what had gone on before.
“I’d imagine [the gunman] was someone they brought in from the outside.”
