Gardaí investigating the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier have conducted a search under warrant at the flat in Bantry, Co Cork, where chief suspect Ian Bailey had been living up to the time of his death last Sunday.
A large quantity of items were seized, including a laptop, memory sticks and personal notebooks, along with personal items from which a DNA profile could be built.
The search was carried out by local detectives involved in the Sophie Toscan du Plantier murder investigation, along with detectives from the Serious Crime Review Team, who are conducting a cold case review of the original investigation.
The items taken will now be further examined to establish if they can be of evidential value to the garda investigation.
In a statement to RTÉ News tonight, a Garda spokesman said: "As part of the ongoing investigation into the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier in 1996, Gardaí conducted a search under warrant of a residential property in Bantry, County Cork, earlier today.
"As this is an ongoing investigation, An Garda Síochána will not be commenting further at this time."
Gardaí spent several hours searching the rented flat at Barrack Street in Bantry.
Mr Bailey's solicitor, Frank Buttimer, confirmed to RTÉ News that he had heard earlier today of the search at the flat.
"Nothing ceases to continue to surprise me about this case," Mr Buttimer said.
"Ian Bailey always said that this case would follow him to his grave. Even he could never have imagined that it would continue to be pursued against him after his death.
"We now seem to have entered a parallel legal universe." Mr Buttimer said.
Ms Toscan du Plantier was found murdered outside her west Cork home near Schull on the morning of 23 December 1996.
Mr Bailey, a former journalist, was arrested twice by gardaí investigating Ms Toscan du Plantier's death.
However, the Director of Public Prosecutions decided no charge was to be brought to him in relation to her murder.
He was convicted in his absence of the murder by a French court in 2020 and a 25-year sentence was imposed on him.
However, the High Court in Ireland ruled that he should not be extradited to France to face that jail term.
It was one of several attempts by the French authorities to have him extradited to face charges in the French courts.
