There is “no question” that Daniel Kinahan will give serious consideration to escaping from prison once he is back in Ireland, a leading crime journalist has predicted. 

Last month, Kinahan was arrested in Dubai on the orders of an Irish court and is thought to be languishing in the UAE’s notorious Al Awir Central prison - which has previously been described as the Arab world’s ‘Alcatraz’.

Once he is deported back to Ireland, it is likely he will be held in Portlaoise Prison, where the State has typically held the most dangerous inmates. 

Many high profile republicans were detained in Portlaoise during the Troubles and the prison retains a number of high security features. 

Despite this, inmates have been known to plot jailbreaks from within the prison’s walls. 

“It sounds mad when you talk about prison breakouts and you sound as if you're operating on a different planet,” Crime World’s Nicola Tallant told The Claire Byrne Show.  

“But in actual fact, an associate of Kinnahan, a guy called Naoufal Fassih, a Dutch man who was lifted here in Ireland. 

“He was held initially in Portlaoise prison, while the Dutch authorities looked to bring him back only in recent years on a trial for a number of gangland murders. 

“There was a plan to break him out and the plan was unraveled by Gardaí by Dutch police.”

A wnated poster of Christopher Kinahan Jnr , Daniel Kinahan and Christopher Vincent Kinahan. Picture by: Gareth Chaney/ Collins Photos.

To most people, the idea of plotting to escape from prison sounds like a nonsensical idea given the vast resources of the State. 

However, given Kinahan could realistically expect to spend the rest of his life behind bars if convicted of multiple serious offences, why wouldn’t he try to flee? 

“It sounds very fantasy,” Ms Tallant said. 

“It sounds a bit silly, would the game not be up when they're actually arrested and jailed?

“But these people are living in quite a fantasy world; there is no question they could attempt something like that.”

As one of the world’s most well-known gangland figures, Kinahan is expected to be brought back on an Air Corps plane and taken straight to the Special Criminal Court. 

He is also highly likely to be isolated from the general prison population. 

Members of the Hutch Organised Crime Gang are imprisoned in Mountjoy - but Kinahan might have other enemies in Portlaoise. 

“You've also got the fact that Daniel Kinahan would be a target himself,” Ms Tallant added. 

“So, within the prison walls, they want to keep him safe too.” 

Main image: Daniel Kinahan. Picture by: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin.