Three men have been arrested after a man in his early 20s was shot dead in Dublin.

It happened on the Knocknarea Road in Drimnagh at about 00:15 local time on Monday, according to Gardaí (Irish police).

What gardaí described as a potential explosive device, understood to be a suspected pipe bomb, was discovered in nearby Knocknarea Court.

The Irish armys explosive ordnance disposal team attended the scene and removed the device for further examination.

Detectives believe the killing is connected to serious and organised crime, according to Irish broadcaster RTÉ.

Three men “ two in their 20s and one a teenager “ have been arrested as part of the investigation and officers have set up an incident room at Sundrive Road Garda Station.

Drimnagh shooting ˜completely unacceptable

Irish Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said the attack was completely unacceptable and not something we will tolerate on our streets.

I commend the gardaí for responding quickly, resulting in the speedy arrest of suspects, she added.

Officers discovered two vehicles at the scene, a black Mercedes-Benz and a black Volkswagen Golf, which appeared to have been in a collision, Supt Paul Maher told reporters on Monday afternoon.

A number of other vehicles have been damaged on Knocknarea Road and a vehicle of interest “ a silver Ford Focus, has been identified on Sperrin Road.

The victim's body remains at the scene, which is currently preserved for examination by the Garda Technical Bureau.

A post-mortem examination is being arranged.

Gardaí have appealing for any witnesses or anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage of the area from Sunday evening to contact them. (BBC)