Brother of Irish sports star shot dead in Barcelona
Gardaí have contacted the family of a well-known Irish sports star in a bid to establish the location of another family member, who has been reported missing in Spain. The efforts to find the Dubliner, whose brother is a household name, have been stepped up after a gun murder on a street in Barcelona.Gardaí are liaising with the Spanish police about the identity of the murder victim amid fears in Dublin’s north inner city the person killed was the missing Irish man. However, Garda sources told The Irish Times they did not yet know the identity of the man who was killed in Barcelona on Wednesday morning in an attack that has all the hallmarks of a pre-planned gangland killing.READ MOREConsultants bring legal challenge to ban on private care in new public surgical hubsWorld Cup lift-off: 80,000 fans, nine South Africa players and three red cardsOrthopaedic surgeon accused of trashing hotel and assaulting guests found not guilty by reason of insanity‘Once in a lifetime opportunity’: A south Dublin beach to call your own from €250,000Garda sources also stressed they had no confirmation he was Irish.One source described as “premature” reports the Barcelona victim was the brother of the sports star, adding gardaí were now moving quickly in a bid to clarify a confusing situation.It appears the man had been living in southern Spain of late. Concerns were raised, and reported to the Spanish authorities, in recent days after that he appeared to go missing. He has been unaccounted for several days. Gardaí and family members are fearful that he has come to serious harm.Gardaí are now speaking to his family in Dublin and the Spanish authorities in an effort to establish who he was last in contact with and where he was last seen.At the same time, they are in contact with the Spanish authorities as part of their efforts to find him while also, separately, trying to find out more information about the Barcelona gun victim.The man killed in Barcelona was shot in the head on Carrer de Balmes on Wednesday morning. Spanish investigators said they have found the suspected murder weapon and have released CCTV images of the suspect.Police are currently treating the attack as a targeted assassination linked to organised crime. The city is currently on high security alert due to the visit of Pope Leo XIV, though authorities confirmed the murder is unrelated to the papal event.Garda headquarters has been contacted for comment. A spokesperson from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said: “The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is aware of reports and stands ready to provide consular assistance. “As with all consular cases, the Department does not comment on the details of individual cases.”
