Three young children were among five people injured in a knife attack in central Dublin on Thursday that police said they had not ruled out any motive over, including whether it could be terror-related.
The incident sparked clashes between riot police and a group of anti-immigrant protesters, who arrived on the scene near the main thoroughfare of O’Connell Street soon after the attack.
A police car and double-decker bus were burnt out and windows smashed in at a nearby Holiday Inn hotel and McDonald’s restaurant.
A five-year-old girl was receiving emergency treatment after sustaining serious injuries in the stabbing. A man in his late 40s, also being treated for serious injuries, was arrested by police who said they are not looking for any other suspect.
“I never ruled out any possible motive for this attack. As I’ve said right from the start … all lines of inquiry are open to determine the motive,” Drew Harris said after a senior officer had earlier told reporters that police were satisfied the incident was not terror-related.
“I’m not going to speculate any further in respect of a terrorist motive. Until we’re sure what the motive is, we have to keep an open mind as to why this happened.”
Police said it appeared the man attacked a number of people on Dublin’s Parnell Square shortly after 1.30pm. Members of the public intervened at an early stage of the attack.
A woman in her 30s was also being treated for serious injuries while the two other children, a five-year-old boy and six-year-old girl, suffered less serious injuries. The boy has been discharged from hospital.
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The scene was still sealed off shortly before 6pm when a group of around 50 anti-immigrant protesters briefly broke through a police barrier. Some shouted “get them out” and one kicked the wing mirror off a police car. Another was draped in an Irish flag.
A larger crowd with their faces covered threw objects and fired fireworks at riot police in helmets and shields, who were deployed shortly after. Others smashed police cars.
“They are disgraceful scenes. We have a complete lunatic hooligan faction driven by far-right ideology engaged in serious violence,” Harris said.
Police said they were not in a position to confirm specific details of anyone involved in the incident when asked about the nationality of the detained man.
While the attack happened near a school, superintendent Liam Geraghty said police did not believe it was an attack on the school.
Anthony Boyle, 31, an IT consultant who lives on the road and was passing by, said: “I saw a child on the ground, a little girl”.
“There was complete and utter pandemonium, women wailing, men screaming and crying.”
Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said in a statement that “we are all shocked by the incident”.