The Irish government jet carrying suspected crime boss Daniel Kinahan has departed Dubai for Dublin.
The 49-year-old was arrested in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in April and is being extradited to the Republic of Ireland to face a charge of directing a criminal organisation.
Kinahan will be immediately charged upon his arrival in Dublin and then brought by Gardaí (Irish police) to appear before the the non-jury, three judge Special Criminal Court on Sunday evening.
A large-scale security operation is in place. Ahead of the extradition the Irish Prison Service bought a bulletproof and bombproof van which can be used to escort prisoners who are considered high-risk
According to flight tracking data, the plane carrying Kinahan departed Dubai at 13:19 local time and is expected to land in Dublin before 19:00 local time on Sunday.
Irish authorities are expected to prosecute him for his involvement in leading an organised crime group.
Kinahan is not only wanted by the authorities in Ireland – the US Treasury Department once described the Kinahan cartel as one of the most dangerous in the world.
The US government imposed sanctions on Kinahan in April 2022 after he and other members of his family were identified as leaders of the Kinahan organised crime cartel.
He fought attempts to extradite him back to his native country, where the Kinahan cartel was involved in a long-running gangland feud that claimed 18 lives.
Kinahan himself became a target for murder and escaped an attempt on his life during a fatal shooting at a Dublin hotel in 2016.
He left Ireland and spent time living in Spain and more recently in Dubai, where a warrant for his arrest was issued by the Irish courts in April.
He appealed the extradition order over the past few months but his attempts were unsuccessful.
