A knife attack occurred in Dublin’s north city center on Thursday afternoon. CLODAGH KILCOYNE / Portal
According to initial information, the main suspect was arrested by police in possession of a bladed weapon. Among the injured are a woman and a young girl in serious condition.
A knife attack occurred in Dublin’s north city center on Thursday afternoon. A suspect was arrested with a long knife near Parnell Square in the Irish capital.
At least five people were injured and are currently in hospital, including three children, Irish Garda police said. One of the children, a young girl, is in a critical condition, as is an adult woman, while the other victims appear to have minor injuries, according to the BBC.
The attack occurred near the exit of a school, the Irish Independent states. At around 1:40 p.m. (local time), the suspect is said to have attacked a woman before attacking children before adult passers-by became involved. He was treated at the scene by paramedics for suspicious injuries, believed to be self-inflicted, and was then taken to hospital.
The Irish media RTE reports on the testimony of a witness at the crime scene, Siobhan Kearney. She reportedly witnessed the attack from across the street and asked if anyone could confirm that a woman and children had been stabbed. When she realized this was indeed the case, she said she rushed across the street in the company of another man who was passing at the same time and ran towards the attacker to disarm him. A crowd then gathered to prevent the attacker, who was lying on the ground, from escaping.
According to her information, the children were around 6 years old. They left a school with the adult woman.
Images filmed by local media or witnesses show a large police and emergency response at the scene and a cordon was set up to keep passers-by at a distance.
According to the Irish media RTE, the police believe that the acts are not of a terrorist nature and are not looking for any other suspects.
Late Thursday afternoon, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said he was “shocked” by the attack and congratulated emergency services for their “very quick” response. He stated that rescuers would be on site “in a few minutes.”
In a statement posted on Twitter, Irish Justice Minister Helen McEntee also said she was “deeply shocked by the horrific attack on three innocent children and a woman in Dublin” and urged residents not to approach the scene. “This attack has shocked us all and I have no doubt that whoever is responsible will be brought to justice,” added Helen McEntee.