ARMED gardai investigating the activities of a major crime gang based in west Dublin have arrested a second suspect.

Detectives from the Organised Crime Unit (OCU) detained the man after raiding his house in Ballymore Eustace, Co Kildare, yesterday evening.

The suspect, who is a foreign national, was being questioned by officers last night at Naas garda station where he was being held on suspicion of possession of a firearm.

Gardai can detain the suspect without charge for up to three days.

Meanwhile, the first suspect, who was arrested by detectives after they stopped two cars outside Ballymore Eustace on Sunday night has been released without charge.

A file will now be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions, who will determine if criminal charges should be brought against him.

Handgun

The 30-year-old man, who is from Lucan, was arrested after detectives foiled what they believed to have been an attempt to either sell or hire a handgun.

The gun was found on the roadside along with a number of rounds of ammunition, while a several thousand euro in cash was discovered in the suspect's navy BMW.

Gardai last night were still searching for the driver of a second car, a gold Toyota Avensis, which was also brought to a halt by the garda unit.

The driver of the Avensis waited until the gardai approached, then reversed his vehicle towards a ditch and suddenly drove at the OCU detectives, who were forced to jump out of the way.

Two shots were fired at the vehicle as the driver headed off in the direction of Naas.

Forensic

The cars had been under surveillance as part of an operation targeting the activities of a west Dublin gang, suspected of being involved in a series of gangland crimes, including a number of tiger kidnappings.

Forensic experts from the garda technical bureau were last night continuing to carry out checks on the BMW, which had not been stolen.

Fingerprint examinations of the weapon and cash were also made.

Ballistic tests could help determine if the gun had been used in gangland shootings.

A separate internal investigation into the firing of two shots by the gardai is under way, under the direction of a superintendent with experience in gangland and terrorism investigations.

Meanwhile, staff from the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission have also examined the scene of the incident on the Naas to Ballymore Eustace road

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