Dublin riots chaos sees Conor McGregor declare 'Ireland at war' - updates

What we know so far

Five people injured during yesterday's knife rampage remain in hospital, including the attacker, a teacher and a five-year-old girl, who has been described as being in a "very serious condition".

The attack sparked riots across Dublin last night, the fallout of which has been seen in photographs of gutted buses, pavements lined with shattered glass and also in the condemnation of politicians who said the rioters have "brought shame on themselves", the country, and their families.

Two heroes who were key in reducing the chaos of yesterday's stabbing have also been singled out and praised for the selfless actions, as have the staff of the primary school where the rampage took place.

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Deputy premier blasts online commenters for 'inciting hatred' when asked about Conor McGregor row

The Tánaiste Micheal Martin says that online commentators are "essentially inciting hatred" after a row on social media.

Speaking to the Irish Mirror about comments made by MMA Fighter Conor McGregor, Micheál Martin said much of the online discourse about yesterday's events have been “disgraceful”.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar mentioned both the stabbing and the subsequent riots, saying the knifeman was "intent on murder" while the far right faction "brought shame on Dublin, brought shame on Ireland and brought shame on their families and themselves”.

The Taoiseach added: “We’re going to get you.”

'I hit him with my helmet' says hero Deliveroo rider who ended Dublin stabbings

(AP)

French national student identified as Dublin hero

Alan, a final year student at an Ardenne high school has been identified as the hero who disarmed the knifeman yesterday.

He sustained slight injuries to his hand and face. He arrived in Dublin in October when he started an internship at a restaurant.

A damaged Luas (tram) in Dublin city centre (PA)

Update on victims' condition

Gardai confirm four people including two children remain in hospital following knife attack

Gardai have said four people including two children remain in hospital following a knife attack in Dublin on Thursday.

An Garda Siochana said a five-year-old girl is in a "critical condition" at CHI Crumlin, while a woman, aged in her 30s, is in a "serious condition" in the Mater Hospital.

A six-year-old girl is receiving medical treatment for "less serious injuries" at CHI Crumlin, while a five-year-old boy was discharged from that hospital on Thursday evening.

A man, aged in his 50s, "remains in a serious condition" in a Dublin hospital following the attack, reports the Irish Mirror.

Hero delivery driver didn't have 'time to be afraid'

Hero delivery driver Caio Benicio did not have “time to be afraid” when he bravely jumped in to knock the Parnell Street attacker with his helmet after he witnessed the horror attack unfold in Dublin on Thursday.

The 43-year-old Brazillian delivery driver told the Irish Mirror that he has been in Ireland for around one year, moving here after his restaurant burnt down, leaving his family in Brazil to earn money in Ireland to support them.

Caio recently injured himself while playing football in Brazil but still heroically jumped into action to save the children and teacher who had come under attack on Thursday, recounting the moment he stepped in to help, the delivery man said he initially thought the attack was a fight, reports the Irish Mirror.

“I work as a delivery driver. Yesterday I was working as a normal day when I came here to Parnell Square," Caoi explained.

“I was passing by in my motorcycle and I saw, first I thought it was a fight, with a man and a woman, later on, I found out she was a teacher. She was very very brave. I have to tell that.

“I thought it was strange, there was another girl involved who was pulling the girl and I saw the man grab a girl and when I saw the knife, I just acted in an instant.

“I saw him stab the girl in the chest many times, that moment I could not see how bad it was because she was wearing a lot of clothes, and I couldn’t see blood. I took off my helmet to protect myself and use it as a weapon and I hit him in the head and then he fell on the ground.”

He added: “I am here praying the little girl survives, I don’t have much news from her now. She is in the hospital.”

Woman who saved attacker's life has heartbreaking link to previous tragedy

The woman who saved the life of the man who allegedly carried out a knife attack on schoolchildren in Dublin yesterday had a heartbreaking connection to a previous tragedy.

Siobhan Kearney was one of the two women who formed a ring around the man as they waited for the gardai to arrive. Ms Kearney is a sister of Liam Dunne who died in Stardust nightclub disaster in 1981. She had attended the inquests into the tragedy nearby before she witnessed the attack.

Ms Kearney said: “So I flew across the road. And we got the children up to the left with the women that was there and the teachers I presume. People were trying to attack the man so me and an American lady, we formed a ring around the man. And about three minutes later the ambulance came for the children and then another ambulance and fire officers came for the man on the ground.”

(RTE)

Leo Varadkar says 'more to being Irish than beating your chest'

Leo Varadkar has said being Irish is about "being more than beating your chest".

"Being Irish means more than saluting the tricolour, beating your chest and pointing to where you were born," he said.

"It means living up to the ideals represented by our flag. It means being true to our own history and it means acting with compassion for others.

"Today I call on us all to remember who we really are because we're better than this and it's time we came together and reminded others who claim to speak for us about what our country really stand for."

Conor McGregor sparks bitter online row after 'grave danger' Ireland rant

Conor McGregor's claims that "Ireland is at war" and there is "grave danger" have sparked a furious backlash online.

With tensions high and rioting in Dublin following the stabbing of a woman and three children in the street, the MMA fighter waded in saying the authorities were not doing enough and should either "make change or make way".

But many blasted him online for "incitement" and claiming that he was in no position to talk on violence. One person wrote on X: "As for Conor McGregor, inciting hate and violence with his tweets…someone take his head out of the bag."

• You can read the rest of our story, HERE.

(AP)

Tanaiste praises Deliveroo driver for taking down attacker

Tanaiste Micheal Martin has praised a Brazilian Deliveroo driver who tackled a man with a knife attacking children at a school in Dublin on Thursday.

Caio Benicio had been on a job when he came across the scene at Parnell Square East and intervened.

Mr Martin said his part "should not be forgotten" and said he may have saved other children from attack.

"We had a horrific, violent attack on children and adults, we think of them, and we think of the Deliveroo person who came along to save the situation, perhaps for other children," he said.

Brazilian Deliveroo driver Caio Benicio (second from right), 43, knocked down the knifeman with his helmet

Irish deputy premier says behaviour seen last night does not represent 'who we are a a people'

Ireland’s deputy premier Micheal Martin has condemned the rioting in Dublin, saying “this is not who we are as a people”.

Speaking ahead of a meeting of the British-Irish Council at Dublin Castle, the Tanaiste said in the first instance his thoughts are with the families of the children and adults who were injured in a knife attack at a school.

“It is very, very challenging and traumatic for them and their families and indeed for all the school children who would have witnessed the incident and indeed for their parents and we cannot lose sight of the horror of that attack and its impact and we’ll be working to support all those affected by that today and in the days ahead,” he said.

Turning to the later rioting, Mr Martin acknowledged people are “obviously very, very concerned” about “the lawlessness and the rioting that occurred last evening in our city”.

He paid tribute to gardai and all emergency workers who he described as having put themselves in harm’s way “to deal with the actions of a small minority in our society”.

“And I would say that this is not who we are as a people, Ireland has built a modern and inclusive society. It is something precious that we should all work to hold,” he said.

“We understand the need to respect other, the need to respect difference and the need to respect the dignity of every human being. This is something that we should hold precious and we should collectively as a society come together to recommit to those fundamental values.”

Tanaiste Micheal Martin accused the protesters of attempting to shut down debate (Niall Carson/PA Wire)

Little girl's condition upgraded from 'serious' to 'very serious'

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said a five-year-old girl is in a "very serious condition" after being injured in a knife attack outside a school in Dublin on Thursday.

Yesterday, the girl and her teacher were said to be in serious condition, but it appears she is in more danger than originally reported.

Mr Harris told a press conference that her teacher remains in a "serious condition".

He said no arrest has been made but a suspect has been identified.

Mr Harris said it was "disgraceful" that Garda inquiries into the knife attack were disrupted by riots in Dublin.

Education minister hails 'incredible selflessness' of school staff

Irish Education Minister Norma Foley has praised the "incredible selflessness" of staff at the school in Dublin at the centre of a knife attack.

Speaking on RTE Radio's Morning Ireland programme, she said the National Education Psychological Services team are assisting at Gaelscoil Cholaiste Mhuire.

"It's a great school, I know that school, I have visited that school and I was there again just early this summer where we turned the sod for a new school, a great staff, great community and together they're working through this," she said.

"There was incredible selflessness, the immediate instinct of everyone, including the carer and the staff and the school was to protect the children.

"It was quite extraordinary to see such bravery, such determination to do the right thing for the children in this awful, awful circumstance, and I really do want to acknowledge the carer and community and wish the carer well, the children well, and we hope for a very quick recovery for everybody concerned.

"But it's quite remarkable, that in the midst of such unexpected, such unprecedented actions in Parnell Square that the instinct to do right, to do good by the passersby, by the staff. It was quite exceptional."

The school staff have been praised as heroes after risking their own lives during the vicious rampage (PA)

Injured woman and child were teacher and pupil, Garda Commissioner

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said a woman and children injured in a knife attack in Dublin were a teacher and pupils.

He told a press conference on Friday: "These (riots) are scenes that we have not seen in decades but what is clear is that people have been radicalised through social media and the internet.

"But I don't want to lose focus on the terrible event in terms of the dreadful assault on schoolchildren and their teacher.

"There's a full investigation ongoing. There's also a full investigation in respect on the disorder."

Workers remove gutted vehicles from O'Connell Street in Dublin after yesterday's violence (PA)

Garda Commissioner says there was 'element of radicalisation" in last night's riots

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said there was an "element of radicalisation" in the riots in Dublin on Thursday.
Mr Harris said at a press conference that significant numbers of rioters attempted to breach the cordon of the crime scene.
He added: "We're going to have to have a fundamental review of our public order tactics, given the amount of violence".

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris gave a press conference this morning from Garda HQ, where he said that the city's defences are being bolstered to prevent further violence (PA)

Dublin security bolstered to prevent futher violence

Speaking at a press conference at Garda HQ in Dublin, Commissioner Drew Harris said said there would be "significant organisation and mobilisation" to prevent any further violence in the city.

He said a planning meeting had been arranged for 9am to determine the next steps.

The commissioner added: "We cannot allow the city to be given over to the thugs, the looters and the arsonists."

Rioters targeted sports shops for looting, Garda Commissioner

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said sports shops were specifically targeted in the riots in Dublin on Thursday.

Mr Harris said at a press conference that "we can see this morning that sports-type shops were specifically targeted".

He added that Garda responded quickly and "were able to clamp down on that looting".

Rioters were accused of targeting sports shops (PA)

Stabbings that sparked riots ended as Deliveroo driver 'hit attacker with helmet'

A hero Deliveroo rider who stopped a knife attack outside a school in Dublin has told how he "knocked the guy down with his helmet".

The attack happened around lunchtime on Thursday close to Irish language medium primary school Gaelscoil Cholaiste Mhuire. Gardai said a man who sustained serious injuries at the scene is a person of interest in their investigation. Rioting followed in Dublin that was condemned by police as "gratuitous thuggery".

Now the Brazilian who intervened to stop the attacker has told how he stepped in having seen the incident unfold as he passed on his motorcycle. Caio Benicio, 43, said in an audio message shared with a WhatsApp group how he was able to stop the man using his helmet.

• Read the full story here.

Flames rise from a car and bus torched in Dublin last night (AFP via Getty Images)

Police arrest 34 after 'huge destruction by mob' as vehicles torched

Thirty-four people have been arrested following huge destruction by a riotous mob in Dublin on Thursday, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said.

Shocking violence erupted in Dublin last night following a day filled with tragedy, which saw five people including three young children wounded during a stabbing close to a school.

• For the full breaking story click here.

People and members or Dublin's police force gather at the scene of the stabbing yesterday (PA)

Shocking scenes end dark day for Ireland

vs of violence of disorder came to the streets of Dublin tonight after a tragic day saw five people including three children injured in a stabbing near a school.

At around 1.30pm on Thursday, a person knifed a woman and the three young children aged between five and six outside the Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire primary school in the city centre.

One girl aged 5 is receiving emergency medical treatment for serious injuries. A boy aged 5 and a girl aged 6 who received less serious injuries were also rushed to hospital, and the boy has since been discharged.

A woman in her 30s is being treated for serious injuries in the Mater Hospital.

Police have since detained a man in his 50s, who also needed treatment for injuries.

Gardai later said they were following "a definite line of inquiry" and said they did not believe the incident was terror related.

This evening, police cars, buses and trams were torched to the ground and shops looted as scenes of unrest broke out in the city centre.

Speaking to the media as riots raged on, Garda Commissioner described the violence as "disgraceful", saying that they involved a “lunatic hooligan faction” and were “driven by far-right ideology”.

The rioters are said to be a small faction of right-wingers, according to the police commissioner and Irelan'ds justice minister (PA)

Police following 'definite line of inquiry'

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has told Irish national broadcaster RTÉ that police are following a definite line of inquiry in relation to today's "barbaric attack".

She also claimed the riots were being perpetrated by a "small group of people" who do not represent the vast majority of the people in the country, and they are using Thursday's events to "wreak havoc and sow division".

Hospital and university closed as riots shut down Dublin

The scenes of disorder in Dublin have been described by Irish media as unprecedented in the recent history of the city - and have forced a university, hospital and parts of the city's public transport network to shut down.

Trinity College has closed all its gates, while Rotunda maternity hospital on Parnell Street has advised patients not to travel to the hospital unless "absolutely necessary".

Concert-goers at the 3Arena have meanwhile been told not to return to city centre. The National Bus and Rail Union has instructed all Dublin Bus drivers to withdraw all services, as well as instructing all Bus Éireann drivers to terminate services "a safe distance" from the city centre, which it described as "effectively a conflict zone".

Gardai preparing their riot gear (PA)

Irish army responds to rumours of troops being deployed on streets

An Irish Defence Forces source has denied rumours that troops had been deployed to assist Gardai amid ongoing disorder in the centre of Dublin.

Images on social media had erroneously claimed to show soldiers on the streets of the capital - but these were in fact from an unrelated military exercise earlier today, they said.

The source told the Irish Mirror: “The images are from a completely separate routine (Defence Forces) operation which happened earlier on today, and in a different part of the city,”

“They have no relation to what is happening tonight in Dublin.”

“We haven’t deployed any personnel or assets and we haven’t received any requests to deploy any personnel or assets.”

Bus torched in angry riots

New photographs from Dublin show a bus engulfed in a ball of flames after it was torched by angry rioters.

Police have urged people to avoid areas of the city centre following the violent disorder this evening, which followed a street protest near the crime scene of today's attack.

(PA)

Rioters loot Foot Locker store

Rioters have looted a Foot Locker store on O'Connell Steet.

People threw bottles at gardai on the famous Dublin street.

Others carried metal bars and smashed shop windows.

In a series of co-ordinated presses, gardai dispersed a large portion of the crowd onto nearby roads.

Smoke from bus and car fires filled the air while a garda helicopter is monitoring the situation overhead.

A looted Foot Locker store on O'Connell Street in Dublin city centre (PA)

Witness describes joining others to form ring around suspect before police arrived

Witness Siobhan Kearney said she saw what she believes was a man attacking children, describing what she saw as "absolutely bedlam".

Ms Kearney told RTE she watched people disarm a man who she said had a knife.

"I looked across the road and I see the man and the stabbing motion with a load of children so I flew across the road," she said.

"The man was after stabbing two children as far as I could make out, and we got the children up to the left with the women that were there, and the teachers I presume.

"People were trying to attack the man so me and an American lady, we formed a ring around the man, and then about three minutes later the ambulance came for the children and then another ambulance and fire officers came for the man on the ground."

Fiery scenes as protesters rush city centre

More photos from Dublin tonight, where violent protests sparked by today's stabbings have prompted a large police response after multiple vehicles were torched. Officers said a "far-right" element had caused trouble in the area.

A car and bus were set alight at a junction in Dublin tonight as protests raged on (AFP via Getty Images)

Violent protests spread as bus set on fire

A bus has now been set alight by angry protesters in Dublin city centre after a night of protests came in response to today's stabbings.

Large groups had earlier attempted to break through a police cordon, and threw fireworks at officers. Multiple cars including one car belonging to Gardai have also been torched.

Condemning the attack and the scenes that followed, Irish Justice Minister Helen McEntee said: "The horrific attack today in Dublin City Centre was an appalling crime that has shocked us all.

"An Garda Síochána are following a definite line of inquiry and are not looking for anyone else regarding this crime.The perpetrator will be brought to justice.

"However, the scenes we are witnessing this evening in our city centre cannot and will not be tolerated.

"A thuggish and manipulative element must not be allowed use an appalling tragedy to wreak havoc.

"We will not tolerate a small number using an appalling incident to spread division. I would appeal for calm in the city centre as An Garda Síochána carry out their work – attacks on members of An Garda Síochána must be utterly condemned and will be dealt with severely.

A bus and car on fire on O'Connell Street in Dublin city centre (PA)

Fireworks shot at Garda

Police officers in Dublin have been hit with fireworks as protests continue in the city centre tonight.

Police car set on fire by protesters

New images show a Garda car set on fire by protesters tonight after officers said "far-right" groups had caused disorder in the city centre.

Officers are also said to have been attacked, as one commissioner urged people to "go home" and not listen to "misinformation".

A Garda car has been set on fire by protesters (X)

Ugly scenes in Dublin tonight as protests break out after stabbings

Large crowds of protesters have arrived in Dublin city centre tonight after three children and one adult woman were confirmed injured in a knife attack this afternoon.

Some protesters have been involved in scuffles with Gardai while others threw bottles at officers, and a small group attended to breach a cordon in place to preserve the crime scene.

Garda Commissioner described the scenes of unrest as "disgraceful".

He said they involve a “lunatic hooligan faction” and are “driven by far-right ideology”.

The Commissioner confirmed that extra resources from Dublin and surrounding regions have been called in to deal with the violence.

Protests in Dublin city centre after five people were injured in an attack (PA)