Dublin knife attack leads to riots: 3 children, 2 adults hurt in stabbing sparks unrest
Three children and two adults were injured in a knife attack in Dublin, Ireland Thursday afternoon before public unrest erupted around the city.
A five-year-old girl remains in critical condition, and the children's teacher, a woman in her 30s, also remains in serious condition, according to An Garda Síochána, Ireland's national police. The Garda have named a man in his 50s as a person of interest. He was also injured during the incident and is in serious condition as of Friday morning.
As police were investigating the attack, several individuals tried to break into the crime scene. Others joined in the unrest, causing significant damage to stores and vehicles. Multiple outlets reported the riots were started by far-right groups after rumors circulated online that a foreign national was responsible for the attack.
"You have a terrible event, and I don't want to lose focus on the terrible event in terms of the dreadful assault on school children and their teacher," Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said at a press conference Friday. "That's a full investigation that's ongoing. There's also a full investigation now in respect of the disorder."
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Teacher injured as she tried to shield children from knife attack
The attack happened Thursday at approximately 1:30 p.m. at Parnell Square East, officials said.
Garda sources told The Irish Times that the suspect had been loitering in the area before attacking children as they were being brought into an aftercare center after lunch.
He stabbed a 5-year-old girl in the chest and also stabbed a teacher as she tried to use her body to shield the children, the Times reported.
A bystander used his motorcycle helmet to hit the attacker and subsequently pinned him down, according to the Times.
Two other children, a 5-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl, were treated for less serious injuries. The boy has been released from the hospital, according to police.
Police have seized the suspect's phone and laptop as they try to determine a motive, the Times reported.
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Dublin stabbing attack prompts riots
As police were investigating the attack, a "riotous mob" responded to the crime scene, tried to break in, and then continued to take the violence to other parts of the city, Harris said.
The riots started at approximately 5:30 p.m. local time. Police deployed more resources, bringing an end to the unrest by 9 p.m.
The riots led to the following:
- 34 arrests, 32 of which are moving forward to the courts
- 13 shops damaged or looted
- 11 Garda vehicles destroyed or damaged
- 3 public buses and 1 tram destroyed
- Several police officers were injured
"These are scenes we have not seen in decades, but what is clear that people have been radicalized through social media and the internet," Harris said.
According to Reuters, police blame far-right factions online for inciting the violence. A group of anti-immigration protesters responded to the scene of the crime after rumors online indicated that the suspect is foreign.
Harris also said at the press conference that many people arrested had previous criminal records.
Ireland's prime minister Taoiseach Leo Varadkar vowed to update laws against hatred in response to the attack, Reuters reported.