A knife attack in Dublin city centre which hurt three children, a man, and a woman is not believed to be terror-related, police have said.
Cops scrambled to Parnell Square East in the north inner-city on Thursday afternoon. It was announced later on by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar that a suspect had been detained.
Now, speaking at a press conference in the Irish capital, Superintendent Liam Geraghty confirmed police were satisfied there was no terrorist link in the attack. He said Ireland's police force - An Garda Siochana - “continues to have an open mind at this early stage of the investigation”.
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“This is a very early stage of the investigation which is not even four hours old at this stage, but at this time An Garda Siochana is satisfied from our inquiries that there is no terror-related activity or related to any wider aspects in relation to this matter,” he said. “It would appear to be a standalone attack, and we need to determine the reasons behind that.”
Supt Geraghty said his understanding is that a knife was used in the attack, but he could not provide more detail on the nature of the injuries. Superintendent Geraghty also gave more information on the nature of the injuries sustained, with a five-year-old boy and six-year-old girl were treated for less serious wounds.
He said: “The boy has since been discharged from CHI Crumlin. The adult female in her 30s is being treated for serious injuries at the Mater Hospital.
“An adult male in his 50s is also being treated for serious injuries at a hospital in the Dublin region. The scene remains sealed off at this time and a technical examination of the scene is ongoing.
“An incident room has been established at Mountjoy Garda Station and a senior investigating officer has been appointed. An Garda Siochana is following a definite line of inquiry. The male in his 50s is a person of interest to An Garda Siochana in this investigation and An Garda Siochana is not looking for any other person at this time.”
