Two men have been seriously injured in what gardaí in Athlone have described as a vicious assault that happened in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The two men, who are of Polish origin, were attacked by a group of six youths in the Sarsfield Square area of the town.
Both men sustained serious head injuries in the assault that happened following a confrontation.
One of the men required more than 30 stitches for his injuries and has today been moved for emergency surgery to Beaumont Hospital in Dublin.
Gardaí in Athlone are investigating the whereabouts of six local men in connection with the incident.
