In this exclusive interview, Mr O’Sullivan, who led the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau at the time, defends Garda intelligence before the shooting and says that even the Kinahan cartel, who he claims had stronger criminal intelligence, did not anticipate the attack. He explains why gardaí were not actively surveilling either side and why officers cannot monitor individuals without a clear intelligence purpose.

The former senior garda also addresses the attempted murder of Gerry Hutch in Lanzarote, the killing of Gary Hutch in Spain, and reports of an alleged attempt on Daniel Kinahan at the Red Cow Inn in late 2015. He also describes the chaos in the hours after the Regency shooting and the scale of the Garda response on the ground.