Dublin lord mayor pays tribute to people of Stoneybatter

Lord Mayor of Dublin Emma Blain has paid tribute to the people of Stoneybatter for how they responded to a knife attack yesterday in which three men were injured.

The men, aged from their mid-20s to mid-40s, were attacked by the man in the Stoneybatter area around 3pm yesterday.

The man in his 20s was arrested and remains in garda custody.

Speaking at Dublin City Council's monthly meeting, Ms Blain said that people looked after and looked out for each other in a real demonstration of their community bond.

She also wished those victims a speedy recovery and paid tribute to the emergency services for their response.

Meanwhile, the Minster for Justice has said that the man arrested in connection with the attack was not previously known to gardaí and was not seeking asylum or international protection.

The three men were attacked by the man, and sustained what have been described as "slashing-type injuries".

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Minister Jim O'Callaghan said it is understood that the man is homeless and originally from South America.

He said the man "hadn't really been brought to the attention of gardaí before, although there was some minor interaction I think in 2023.

"But the information that's been brought to my attention is that this isn't a person who was seeking international protection or had been granted international protection.

"That's my assessment."

Mr O'Callaghan said it was a "shocking experience" for people in the area and was "horrific for the three men brutally attacked".

Parts of the area were cordoned off following the incident

He said it could have been a lot worse and praised gardaí, in particular the garda who "arrived there first and apprehended and disarmed the individual concerned, but also the gardaí got there very quickly and had they not, I fear, we could have been talking about something much worse this morning rather than the three serious injuries that took place."

The minister said gardaí told him the attacks were random.

"What appeared to happen is the individual went along the streets - the three locations were Oxmantown Road, Carnew Street and Niall Street and the three men who were attacked were just, unfortunately, in a position where the person was passing by at the time and it was horrific for them."

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He added: "Obviously the people of the community and throughout Dublin are very scared about this because they're just wondering is this something that could happen to them.

"They're walking around their neighbourhoods. I think it is important to emphasise that although it's not unprecedented, attacks like this are highly unusual."

Mr O'Callaghan said he is satisfied with the response of An Garda Síochána to the incident, adding that "we can never have too many gardai", but said it is not feasible to have a garda on every street.

He added that he is not aware of any scaling back of garda public order units.

More visual police presence needed - Social Democrats

Speaking on the same programme, Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon described the incident as "terrifying" and a "tragedy".

The Dublin Central TD said although what happened yesterday was "completely random", local people had "highlighted that there was a tension in the area. That people didn't feel safe".

He also said that what he described as "far-right agitators" tried to use the incident to "advance their own position" by claiming the suspect was "somebody who may have been in the international protection system".

He added: "I actually think it's disgusting. But that is not a community that will actually be taken in by these people who try to deceive. I think the community rallied yesterday.

"The community will continue to rally over the weeks and months ... but we obviously need to be careful for those who tried to take advantage of a situation."

Mr Gannon said a more visual presence of gardaí could have prevented such an incident and called on Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan to introduce "a proper policing strategy" for the city centre.

"These are highly densely populated areas. They have huge levels of complex needs. What does an actual residential policing strategy look like for the city centre communities? We've been crying out for this, in Dublin 1, Dublin 7, crossing Dublin 2.

"We have incredible garda there. We need more of them. What's the plan?" he asked.

Crime a 'legacy of neglect' by govts - SF

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Justice Matt Carthy said crime problems in the capital are a "legacy of government neglect".

In a statement, he said he wanted to commend gardaí for their response to a number of incidents in Dublin yesterday.

However, he said that "while the individual incidents may not have been predictable, anyone who has been in Dublin city centre over the last year will know that it does not have the level of visible garda presence or sense of safety that should be expected in a capital city.

"The legacy of the last Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael government and years of neglect and declining garda numbers at the time of increasing population is serious public order issues on our streets, communities feeling unsafe and a justice system that struggles to cope," Mr Carthy added.

'Exceptional policing response by frontline gardaí'

In a statement this evening, gardaí said the response to the attacks at three different location in Stoneybatter was an "exceptional policing response by frontline gardaí".

A public order capacity was on patrol in Dublin city at the time of the attacks yesterday.

It said public order patrols have not been scaled down, adding that An Garda Síochána "continues to have a daily commitment" in the Dublin region which is "managed and augmented as required, in line with operational and intelligence assessments".

Additional reporting Dyane Connor