Parnell Square stabbing: Girl (5) remains in critical condition today as school releases statement on injured victims

One child aged five is still in a critical condition in hospital today.

Two other young children and the female creche worker, aged in her 30s, were also being treated for injuries after the knife attack on Parnell Square East in Dublin.

Gardaí have ruled out a terror related motive, and are holding a man aged in his 40s who was also injured during the incident. He also remains in hospital.

The heroic creche worker is being treated for serious stab injuries to her body that she suffered when she tackled the knifeman on Thursday afternoon.

It is understood that before she could intervene with the attacker he had stabbed a five-year-old girl in the neck.

This child is currently in a critical condition in hospital.

Deliveroo driver Caio Benicio has also been hailed a hero for stopping the attacker by hitting him with his helmet.

Speaking to RTÉ Radio One’s Morning Ireland this morning, Caio said he was “at the right time in the right place”.

"At first I thought it was a fight with a man and a woman,” he said.

"Then, I just saw a little girl, and a woman who couldn’t get the girl from the man. And then the man grabbed another [child].

"When I saw the knife, I pulled up my bike and it was my initiative.

"I hit him with my helmet. He fell down and other people came to keep him down.

“I was at the right time in the right place.”

“This all happened in a matter of seconds and after her very brave actions another two children suffered superficial stabbing injuries to their chest and shoulder in what was a frenzied incident,” a source said.

“[The creche worker] defended those children with all her strength – all that she was doing was trying to protect those little kids and people in what was is a very built up area in the city centre saw what was happening when they passed the school.”

“At this stage a number of very brave members of the public including pedestrians and cyclists arrived on the scene and the suspect was taken down after he was hit with a motorcycle helmet in the face,” the source added.

The suspect was arrested at the scene and is being treated in a Dublin hospital after he suffered facial injuries when members of the public became involved.

The children he had targeted were lined up under supervision outside the school as they went from one class to another.

In a statement this afternoon, Principal Pól Hansard of Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire on Parnell Square said the school has implemented its critical incident management plan.

He said: “We are deeply shocked and saddened by yesterday’s serious incident that has impacted our school community.

“Our thoughts are with our pupils and our creche worker colleague who were injured and their families. The wider school community who are affected by this incident are also in our thoughts.

“Offers of support have been pouring in and are greatly appreciated.

“Psychologists from the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) have been with us, supporting and advising the staff in our efforts to assist our school community.

“We would ask you to respect our privacy at this time.”

Gardaí have ruled out a terrorism motive in relation to the activities of the man who had been living at various addresses in Dublin over the past number of years.

It is understood he is an Irish citizen who had lived here for many years but was not born in Ireland.

Early investigations indicate that he has no link to the school.

One line in the investigation is that the suspect may have suffered a psychotic episode and there has been reports he was seen near the highly respected school in the minutes before the horrific attack at lunchtime today.

Gardaí are not looking for any other suspects in relation to the horror attack.

The incident happened at Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire shortly after 1pm today, on Parnell Square East, in the north inner city.

In a second garda briefing on the stabbings on Thursday evening, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said the gardaí were not ruling anything out in relation to the stabbings.

President’s statement

On Thursday evening, President Michael D Higgins issued a statement in which he said the incident should not be used by groups to further specific agendas.

“All of our thoughts are with each of the children and their families affected by today's horrific attack outside Gaelscoil Coláiste Mhuire in Dublin city centre,” he said.

“We are particularly thinking of the 5 year old girl and the member of staff caring for her who are both in serious condition in hospital. All of our prayers are with each of them for a full recovery.

“The Gardaí deserve all of our support in dealing with this incident. This appalling incident is a matter for the Gardaí and that it would be used or abused by groups with an agenda that attacks the principle of social inclusion is reprehensible and deserves condemnation by all those who believe in the rule of law and democracy.”

Garda update

Superintendent Liam Geraghty earlier said preliminary indications are that a male attacked a number of people on Parnell Square East.

"Five casualties have been taken to hospitals in the Dublin region,” he said.

"These casualties include three young children, an adult female and an adult male.

"One girl, aged five years, has sustained serious injuries and is currently receiving emergency medical treatment in CHI Temple Street."

He added that a five-year-old boy and six-year-old girl were treated for less serious injuries relating to the incident.

Supt Geraghty said: "The boy has since been discharged from CHI Crumlin. An Garda Síochána is providing support to the parents of all the children. The adult female in her 30s is being treated for serious injuries at the Mater Hospital."

He said the adult male “is also being treated for serious injuries at a hospital in the Dublin region. The scene remains sealed off 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 Síochána is following a definite line of inquiry.”

Suspect

Supt Geraghty said that a male in his 40s is a person of interest in the investigation. Gardaí are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.

He praised members of the public who intervened to protect the students, saying: "My understanding is members of the public did intervene at a very, very early stage and we would applaud those members of the public for getting involved in such a traumatic and potentially dangerous situation for themselves.

"We're aware that the public are concerned about the activities that have happened today. The message to them is that we believe that this is a standalone incident, not necessarily connected to any wider issues that are ongoing in the country or in the city, and we need to identify the exact reasons for that happening.

"So we'd ask for people not to jump to conclusions and not to make rash judgments on what may have happened."

The garda superintendent added: "We are dealing not just with the parents of the three children, but parents of the wider group that would have seen and potentially be traumatised as a result of what happened this afternoon.

"My understanding is that the first emergency services were ambulances, and they were there within minutes, followed by An Garda Síochána.”

Protests and traffic disruption

There were riots and looting in Dublin city centre on Thursday evening after protesters descended on the scene as night fell, with gardaí forced to push them back beyond the cordon. Video shows a youth carrying lit cardboard to an unoccupied squad car on Parnell Street, putting it inside and shutting the door, as onlookers cheer, before the car catches fire.

A Luas, a bus and several cars were also set alight, while business premises were also attacked.

Youths in the city centre were also seen attacking and firing flares and fireworks at gardaí.

Gardaí with shields were fending off violent demonstrators attempting to kick and punch them and riot police were deployed.

Many of those attacking gardaí had hoods up and their faces covered.

At a second briefing on the stabbings on Thursday evening, Garda commissioner Drew Harris labelled the violent scenes as “disgraceful’ describing protesters as a “complete lunatic faction driven by far right ideology”

He confirmed that a number of garda cars had been damaged and said they had “serious public order scenes to deal with”.

He said that a “hooligan faction” was using innuendo, which is being spread for “malevolent purposes”.

And he said: “For those engage in public disorder tonight, it’s our responsibility to bring them to justice.”

He said he has given garda units responding to the violence “ full direction to make arrests and bring offenders to justice”.

He appealed to agitators to “calm down, go home and allow us to do these investigations properly”.

Reaction

In a statement, the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) said its thoughts and prayers were with the students and teachers in the school.

"Our hearts are with the entire school community of Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire following the horrendous incident that has taken place today,” a spokesperson for the INTO said. “We are thinking of the children, their families and the school’s staff during this unimaginably difficult time.

"We are in touch with the school and know teachers around the country will have the school in their thoughts and prayers this evening.”

Minister outlines psychological support

The Minister for Education said that the National Educational Psychological Service is providing support to the school community following the attack.

In a statement, Minister Norma Foley said: “I wish to express my deepest sympathies to the three children and the woman who were viciously attacked in Dublin.

"Our hearts and minds go out to all who were injured today and to all of their families, as well as all the staff who care for them in the school and in their creche.

"The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) is providing support to the school community.”

Eye-witness

An eye-witness described the scene of terror outside the school.

“The kids were out walking. All of a sudden, one of them fell to the ground, then another fell to the ground, then another falls to the ground,” they said.

“Then this guy started running past.”

The witness said the assailant was armed with a knife and fell to the ground, following which “a load of people jumped on him”.

They said that people at the scene then formed a cordon around the assailant to stop him from being assaulted.

The witness said: “The police were on the scene pretty quickly. An undercover garda came running up and intervened.

“Then the cordon went up and there were people running up and going underneath it, sprinting up the road.”

Anxious parents waiting to collect their children from school gathered at the top of O’Connell Street earlier on Thursday.

Some stood, breaking the news to passers-by as they phoned relatives, telling them why they would be late arriving home from the school-run.

Emotional parents pushed buggies through the crowd before being stopped at the cordon, stressed by how little they knew about what had happened.

Parents’ reaction

The father of an 11-year-old girl at the school said he heard there had been an incident and a child had been stabbed.

He described the terror of running to the school, hoping his daughter hadn’t been affected.

Speaking to RTÉ Radio One’s Morning Ireland, Eric Doran said he “just ran down to the school straightaway”.

"I just kind of panicked. I got to Parnell Street and it was cordoned off,” he said.

"I didn’t know what had happened and I was hoping it wasn’t Isabelle.

"I didn’t know if it was her or not for a half an hour and that half an hour felt like a month.”

He continued; “She was okay. She said she had to go back into the school to see if her friends were okay.

"She didn’t go back in, but that’s what she was thinking.

"She was distraught crying, it was horrible. I was just hugging her trying to tell her she was safe now.”

‘People were trying to attack the man’

Another witness, Siobhan Kearney said she saw what she believes was a man attacking children.

She described what she witnessed as "absolutely bedlam".

Ms Kearney told RTÉ 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.

"People were trying to attack the man so me and an American lady, we formed a ring around the man. 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.”

Taoiseach responds

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: “We are all shocked by the incident which has taken place in Parnell Square. A number of people have been injured, some of them children. Our thoughts and our prayers go out to them and their families.

“I have been in contact with the Minister for Justice who is keeping me updated. The facts in this matter are still emerging. The emergency services responded very quickly and were on-site within minutes. I thank them for that. Gardaí have detained a suspect and are following a definite line of inquiry.”

Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe said: “I am aware of an extremely serious incident that has taken place at Parnell Square in my constituency of Dublin Central.

"My thought and prayers are with the victims of this very serious incident, and their families. Anyone with information is being asked to contact Store Street police station.”

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said the incident had caused "shock and horror".

In a social media post, Ms McDonald said: "Violent attack at Gael Choláiste Mhuire Parnell Square has sent shock and horror throughout the community.

"My heart goes out to all the hurt and injured, the parents, teachers but especially the children who have been so traumatised.

"This is beyond words."

Speaking at the scene Ms McDonald added: “I know that the gardaí acted very swiftly in this matter, but this is certainly the last thing that any of us expected on a Thursday afternoon where children should come safely from school and be collected by their parents.

“I pray the injured make a full recovery.

“The community is stunned. Stunned and horrified.”