Father of Kinahan cartel gangster arrested over Michael Healy-Rae car punch attack as new suspect details emerge

THE dog walker who punched Michael Healy-Rae in his car is the father of a Kinahan cartel gangster, the Irish Sun can reveal.

The 51-year-old was tonight being questioned at Dublin’s Kevin Street Garda Station over the attack which left the Kerry TD hospitalised.

He is well-known to gardai in Dublin’s south inner city, having previously been involved in robberies, and was arrested this morning.

His son, in his 30s, worked for the Kinahan cartel with gardai classifying him as a “footsoldier.”

He was convicted and served a sentence for his logistical role in a murder the gang committed during the feud against the Hutch gang. He also featured in another investigation in recent years following serious threats against a garda.

Now his father is in custody following the shocking attack on Healy-Rae on Wednesday afternoon.

Healy-Rae had left Leinster House and was beginning his journey home to Kerry when he was in traffic at 4.10pm on Cork Street, near the Coombe Hospital.

While sitting in his Skoda car, which was branded with his own face and name, he was approached by the man who shouted and punched a number of times.

The man fled with his dog as gardaí tended to 59-year-old Healy-Rae. They took him to the nearby station from where he was brought to St Vincent’s Hospital, where he got a number of stitches.

In a statement released on Thursday morning, defiant Healy-Rae proclaimed: “Whatever the intention behind this attack, I will not be deterred from continuing my work or from representing the people of Kerry to the very best of my ability.”

Assistant Commissioner for Dublin, Jonathan Roberts had described the attacker as approximately 50 years old, wearing a flat cap and dark-rimmed glasses at the time.

He was carrying a bright yellow square-shaped plastic bag and wearing a grey coat over a two-toned top and dark-coloured trousers.

Assistant Commissioner Roberts told how it was difficult to say whether or not the attack was spontaneous or more planned, adding: “It was a very brief incident.”

Healy-Rae’s older brother and fellow TD Danny, 72, said he had been speaking to his sibling by phone.

He told the Irish Sun: “I have been talking to him. He’s at home and he’ll be fine, I’m sure he will. He’s at home and he has the phone turned off.”

Danny also hit at out those who posted videos on social media of Healy-Rae being helped by gardai with misinformation that he was being arrested.

Danny fumed: “There is a lot of nonsense going on on the phones, I have a phone for ringing people and for people to ring me and that’s how I get on.

“They can say what they like about me on whatever platform they have, and it doesn’t bother me because I’m not listening to them.

“A lot of people could turn off from what is said on social media and just use their phones for the necessary but people are taking a lot of notice of what people are putting up. And it’s just a cheap way of taking a shot at people.”

Asked if he felt his brother should sue the man who assaulted him, Danny told us: “The man knows what to do himself about that. That’s a separate thing and his own business.”

He said he himself had been involved in incidents over the years but was unsure if protection for all TDs was necessary, saying: “I haven’t had much issues, nothing out of the ordinary. I’ve had things back over the years. But people have their own views on that.”

Assistant Commissioner Roberts explained how an operation has been in place since 2024 where the force has provided security advice to those in public life.

He added: “We have inspectors in each division who are available to meet with elected representatives and provide appropriate advice. And our crime prevention officers are also available.

“We’ve provided briefings to members of the Oireachtas, and we can also do so going forward. And since 2025, we have also made approximately 18 arrests in relation to incidents that relate to some form of abuse or offence targeted at people in public positions.”

Meanwhile, Michael Healy Rae’s son, Cllr Jackie Healy Rae told how his father was “a bit shook and a bit sore” following the attack.

He was speaking to his father on the phone at the time of the incident.

Speaking to Radio Kerry, he explained: “I could hear everything that was happening. You could hear somebody kind of starting to shout from a distance, and within seconds, all of a sudden, all you could hear was an awful commotion going on inside the car as it was happening

“You could say that he’s lucky that the injuries weren’t too serious in nature.”

Jackie pointed out that this was the third time his father was targeted.

He added: “There are two previous convictions of people, one who threatened to kill him, and the other was the time outside the Dáil during the protests.

“I think we’ve seen so many different aspects of things that have happened, and I suppose as a family, we’ve grown up with it. Particularly myself and my siblings.

“It doesn’t make it okay. It doesn’t make it any easier. It was very terrifying to hear when I was on the phone to him yesterday what was happening on the other end of other side of the line.”

In a statement issued today, Michael Healy-Rae thanked the gardai, the ambulance and hospital staff along with the huge amount of support he had received.

He added: “We do need to have a serious conversation about the growing toxicity directed towards politicians and public representatives. Disagreement and robust political debate are entirely legitimate, but personal abuse, intimidation and violence can never be accepted or normalised in a democratic society.

“I’m back in Kerry, I look forward to getting back to work in the coming days and trust the Gardaí will find the perpetrator and bring him to justice.”

A garda spokesman confirmed: “Gardaí have arrested a male (aged in his 50s) in relation to an assault that occurred on Cork Street, Dublin 8 on Wednesday 16th September 2026.

“The male is currently detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 in a Garda Station in the Dublin Metropolitan Region.

“Investigations are ongoing.”