After he allegedly stabbed four people at a Dublin school on Thursday, three of whom were youngsters under the age of six, Irish police have detained the man. The event sparked irate demonstrations in the city’s streets when word spread that the attacker was a foreign person.
The rampage happened at an Irish-language school in the city centre, injuring three children and one adult woman. Two of the children, a five-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl, received treatment for less serious wounds, while the five-year-old girl was transported to a local hospital with critical injuries, according to the Irish Times.
Local media accounts state that the attacker was apprehended and placed under arrest shortly after, having been held on the spot by members of the public. He was identified by the police as an adult male in his 50s who was also brought to a hospital for treatment.
Although the police did not offer any other details regarding the individual or his possible motivation, the right-wing news website Gript identified him as an Algerian national, citing sources within the police.
Crowds of demonstrators gathered close to the location as word circulated on social media that the suspect was Algerian. The protest quickly became violent, with riot police and hooded rioters fighting over the body of the suspect. According to RTE News, several police officers were beaten and at least one police car was set on fire.
The vandals were denounced by Police Commissioner Drew Harris as “a complete lunatic hooligan faction driven by far right ideology.”
