A MAN has been arrested in Ireland over a Blackburn gunshot murder plot following an international manhunt.

He has been held in Dublin 13 months after the shooting in an alleyway behind Accrington Road last February.

Two men, Suheal Patel and his cousin Sameer Kanwadkar, escaped death by inches after a bullet was fired through the passenger side of the Fiat Punto they were sitting in.

The bullet passed through the boot and just missed them, police said.

Witnesses described up to three shots were fired in an alley close to the junction with Burnley Road.

Two men were seen running from the scene after the gun was fired.

Police were investigating whether the shooting was fallout from a drugs trial two years ago.

The man, 23, from Manchester, is being held by Irish police after an international arrest warrant on conspiracy to murder obtained by Lancashire Constabulary.

The man has been remanded in custody and will appear before an extradition hearing on Wednesday.

He will then be questioned in connection with the incident when he is returned to the UK.

Detective Chief Inspector Neil Hunter, who has led the investigation, said: "An old fashioned man hunt was put in place and after extensive inquiries it was found that he had left the country and was living in Ireland.

"We worked closely with the Irish police - the Garda - and the international arrest warrant was issued." Last September 100 officers investigating the shooting swooped on houses across the country and arrested a number of suspects.

Eight men have been charged in connection with the incident and are due to face trial in June on conspiracy to murder charges.