Gerry Hutch was carrying fake documents and taking counter surveillance precautions when he was arrested by police in Spain last week, Guardia Civil has said.
Commenting on the arrest for the first time, the Spanish force described Mr Hutch, using his nickname 'The Monk' and his initials, as a "dangerous" criminal wanted in Ireland to face charges for murder, according to The Irish Times.
Guardia Civil confirmed they had been searching for Mr Hutch on the Canary Islands earlier this year, but lost track of him before intelligence pointed to southern Spain.
The Dubliner was found in Fuengirola, Málaga where he was arrested on Thursday, August 12th. Members of the Gardaí were also said to have been present at the arrest.
Surveillance
The Spanish force said a surveillance operation had been put in place in the town prior to Mr Hutch's arrest, adding that it appeared he had support in the area.
"[The police] discovered that it had a logistics network that provided what is necessary so [he] didn't have to leave [his] hiding place," the statement from Guardia Civil on Tuesday said.
Mr Hutch was located in a house in the centre of the town and was arrested when he left the property to go to a restaurant. Guardia Civil added he was "very focused on his safety, making numerous stops and [direction] changes" on his way to the restaurant.
When arrested, Mr Hutch was found to be carrying false documentation. He was detained by armed officers, with the operation including officers from the Gardaí, Europol, the Spanish Group de Acción Rápida (Rapid Action Group) and other police units from the region.
The property where Mr Hutch had been staying was subsequently searched by the Guardia Civil on Friday at the request of the Gardaí.
Mr Hutch is wanted in Ireland in connection with the February 2016 attack at the Regency Hotel in Dublin, during which David Byrne (34) was shot dead and several other men were injured. Gardaí believe the main target was Daniel Kinahan, who was named by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) in the High Court as being the leader of the Kinahan cartel.
The shooting was seen as revenge for the murder of Gary Hutch (34), Gerry Hutch's nephew, in Spain the previous year.
