A 36-year-old man arrested in connection with the murder of gangland boss Robbie Lawlor in north Belfast is believed to have been an eyewitness to the shooting.
Lawlor, thought to have been responsible for ordering the brutal murder of Drogheda teenager Keane Mulready Woods in January, was shot several times at close range in a garden of a house at Etna Drive in Ardoyne on Saturday.
A leading figure in a feuding criminal gang, the Dubliner had been a regular visitor to Belfast since he was released from custody in December last year having been found not guilty of threatening to murder his former girlfriend’s partner and attempting to murder the man's mother.
It is thought a lone gunman entered through the rear of the Ardoyne property before midday on Saturday, before chasing Lawlor into the garden and shooting him in front of horrified residents.
The killer, who had knowledge of the area, made his getaway after entering and leaving through a back door and alleyway gate.
The 36-year-old man was detained on Tuesday following searches of two separate properties in Ardoyne.
A car thought to have been used to transport the gunman to the house, a 2010 Volkswagen Scirocco, registration YLZ 7052, was set on fire in nearby Kingston Court.
The gunman is thought to have fled the scene in a black BMW which was seen speeding from the area shortly after the murder.
The murder weapon has not yet been recovered.
Forensic officers have spent six days at the property in Etna Drive looking for evidence to piece together the timeline of events.
Two men and a teenager from Limerick who were arrested shortly after the shooting have since been released.
A west Belfast man arrested from an address in Crumlin, Co Antrim was also released without charge.
