Gardaí have foiled what they suspect was an attempted assassination after they found three men with a loaded gun close to the home of a known criminal.

Gardaí stopped the three men, aged 19, 20 and 22, on Cooley Road in Drimnagh, Dublin, late on Friday night. One of the men threw a loaded Glock 9mm pistol under a parked car while another of the suspects discarded several rounds of ammunition. They were immediately arrested and taken into custody. Although they are not known to gardaí it is suspected that they are involved in the Crumlin-Drimnagh drugs feud that has resulted in 13 murders so far.