Michael Keogh was shot dead in a car park on Dorset Street in May

The Hutch gang is targeting an innocent relative of a major Kinahan mobster for murder - and plans to use his relationship with a north inner city woman as a means to ambush him.

The Herald can reveal the mob singled out the relative as they see him as a "soft target", and hope his friendship with the woman will enable them to lure and shoot him on their own patch.

The target, who has no connection to gangland crime, is a close relative of one of the Kinahan cartel's main Dublin-based lieutenants.

Innocent

Sources have confirmed the Hutch gang are now targeting "innocent" friends and relatives of the Kinahan mob because their rivals have murdered "soft targets" of their own in the past - namely the brother of Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch, Eddie Hutch Snr, and Gareth Hutch.

"After the murder of Michael Keogh back in May, it is clear that the Hutch lot are very much still gunning for revenge and any target, no matter how they are linked to the Kinahan mob, is justified," a source told the Herald.

"They have been emboldened by the fact that the cartel haven't successfully shot anyone linked to their gang in over nine months, and feel now is their time to get the ultimate revenge and wipe out as many Kinahan targets as possible."

The threatened man is a close relative of a notorious criminal, who is currently in jail on feud-related charges.

"There have been a number of attempts to set him up over the past couple of months, but so far he has escaped any injury," a source said.

The revelation comes as the Herald learned a number of on-the-run Hutch gang members are "spending more and more time" in the English city of Liverpool, having spent more than a year hiding out in Northern Ireland.

Members of the Hutch mob are also being investigated for the double murder of Antoinette Corbally (48) and Clinton Shannon (30) in Ballymun in August.

The intended target of the attack was Ms Corbally's career criminal brother Derek 'Bottler' Devoy (37.)

It has emerged that one of the two criminals being blamed for the killing by Devoy's crew is the chief suspect in the 2014 slaying of Bottler's brother, Michael 'Mad Mickey' Devoy (41).

Riddled

'Mad Mickey' was murdered shortly after his release from Portlaosie Prison, his body riddled with bullets before it was discovered on the side of a road in Bohernabreena on January 18, 2014.

This military-trained hitman is also a suspect in the Hutch/Kinahan feud murder of Michael Keogh, who was killed by the Hutch mob in the capital's north inner city in late May.

"This gun for hire is a heavy hitter in terms of organised crime and he has close links to a number of gangs, including both feuding gangs," a senior source said. "He is involved in extortion, debt collection and is associated with provos in the north inner city."

The other hitman to face the fury of the Devoy crew has been closely monitored by gardai, who believe he could be used at a "minute's notice" to carry out the murder of a Kinahan cartel member.

In his 40s, he has been out of prison since 2013.

He served a lengthy sentence after being arrested following a major surveillance operation by the Garda's Organised Crime Unit.

A machine gun allegedly used in the double murder was discovered by gardai last week in the north inner city.