Gardaí believe four masked men were involved in the shooting dead of Dublin man Eddie Hutch Senior in the city last night.

Mr. Hutch, who was in his 50s, died after four gunmen burst into his house on Poplar Row, North Strand yesterday evening and shot him a number of times. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

He is the brother of Gerry 'the Monk' Hutch and his nephew was drug dealer and armed robber Gary Hutch, who was shot dead in Spain last September.

It is understood the gunmen arrived at the scene in a Silver 3 Series BMW which was found abandoned on St Patricks Parade, Drumcondra a short time later.

This is the second gangland murder in four days, after David Byrne was shot dead at a weigh in for a boxing match at the Regency Hotel in Dublin last Friday.

Journalist with the Irish Independent and Herald Newspapers, Conor Feehan, says the atmosphere in Dublin was very tense overnight:

Later today Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald will meet with the Garda Commissioner and senior officers.

The Minister insists that the gardai will take all necessary steps to end the bloodshed.

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has also condemned the killing.

He says that those behind this shooting and the killing at the Regency need to be apprehended and taken off the streets.

That is despite his party pushing for the scrapping of the Special Criminal Court which has dealt with extreme gangland violence in the past.