GARDAI searching for the IRA killers of Det Garda Jerry McCabe arrested another man for questioning yesterday, the 16th person to be detained since the operation began.
The man, in his 30s and from Tipperary, was being questioned at Henry Street Garda station in Limerick. Another man, from Toomevara in Tipperary, who had been detained since Saturday, was released without charge yesterday.
Gardai continue to search for three known figures from the Munster IRA who are believed to have been present when Det Garda McCabe was shot dead at Adare 11 days ago.
Meanwhile, gardai in Limerick say they did not believe that the fire bombing of a detective garda's car outside his home and the daubing of green paint on his premises was the work of the IRA.
The spokesman said yesterday: "The green paint may have been bused to give the impression that it was the work of some republican group. However, we believe that local subversive criminals were merely taking advantage of the present situation to express themselves."
Det Garda Dan Murphy, a native of Cork, who was a close friend of Det Garda Jerry McCabe, and of Det Garda Ben O'Sullivan, who was injured in the Adare shooting, was awakened by his daughter at 4 a.m. on Sunday. He found that a gang had set fire to the family car, parked bin front of his house, and a can of green paint had been thrown at the front porch area.
Det Garda Murphy, who lives in the Cratloe Road area of Limerick, is attached to the crime office at Roxboro Garda station. The car windows were smashed and the inside doused with petrol and set on fire.