Family and friends gather to mourn shooting victim Josh Itseli in Dublin

Gardaí maintained discrete patrols in the area as Josh’s loved ones gathered at the funeral home to say goodbye for a final time.

Josh (20) died in the early hours of Monday, May 6 when a car was rammed and he was shot in the suspected gangland attack.

It’s believed the group he was travelling with were on their way to carry out an attack on the home of rival drug dealers when they were ambushed.

A cousin of Mr Itseli previously told the Sunday World his extended family had no idea as to the kind of trouble Josh was in at the time of his killing.

“We didn’t know about any of that,” she said.

“Whoever knew him and was around him knew exactly who he is.

“He was like anybody’s cousin. You are always laughing with your cousin – so that’s really it. He was a simple guy, really.”

The criminal suspected of fatally shooting Joshua has fled to England, the Sunday World previously revealed. He has close links to a number of older drug dealers aligned with the Kinahan cartel.

An arrest warrant was issued for the suspected gunman, who was previously granted bail despite garda objections over a separate serious offence.

Three males were arrested near the scene shortly after the killing and were questioned over the course of two days before being released without charge.

Sources said gardaí are liaising with police in England in relation to the man “to keep tabs on him”.

Recently, a bench warrant was issued for his arrest after he failed to appear in court over an unrelated matter.

The suspect was granted bail before the murder despite garda objections.

He is currently charged with a serious assault on a woman.

A source said: “He went to ground immediately after being released from garda custody and the most recent information is that he is in England with an associate.

“There has been a bench warrant issued for his arrest since the murder, but that is unrelated to the murder investigation.

“Gardaí have been in contact with UK police to keep tabs on him and to try establish his exact whereabouts.”

A teenager who was with Itseli at the time of the shooting later handed himself in to gardaí to give a voluntary statement.

On the night of the shooting, Itseli was travelling in a Volkswagen Golf, which was rammed at around 12.15am before a gun was fired up to 20 times.

Itseli was struck in the head and died at the scene.

Detectives believe the men were on their way to carry out an attack when they were intercepted by rival criminals on the junction of Knocknarea Road and Curlew Road.

A viable explosive device was recovered nearby on Knocknarea Court. Gardaí are investigating if this was to be used to target a property.

Gardaí later raided a number of properties in Dublin, including a home linked to the suspected target of the pipe-bomb attack.

Itseli was known to local gardaí for his involvement in the drugs trade and was before the courts on drug-dealing charges.

He was detained twice last summer for possession of crack cocaine, with the values seized totalling more than €30,000.

Gardaí are continuing to appeal for any witnesses to the incident to come forward and have appealed for the drivers of two taxis – a dark-coloured saloon and a red salon – that were in the area at the time to come forward.