Masked man stopped by hero garda after ‘knocking on doors’ to seek out victims in stabbing frenzy on Dublin street

COPS are quizzing a man tonight after several people were stabbed in a series of knife attacks. The incidents took place in Stoneybatter in Dublin shortly before 3pm today when a masked man armed with a knife allegedly went berserk and launched a number of assaults on passers-by. He’s believed to have knocked on doors looking for people to attack and slashed one man as he was out walking on the street.

Three men were taken to hospital with stab wounds. Two of the men suffered serious injuries, while the other man was in a less serious condition. Gardai said none of the injuries were life-threatening. The victims, who are all Irish, suffered slash-like wounds in the attacks, it’s believed. A man, understood to be originally from South America, was arrested with his face covered on Manor Place, close to the scene of the attacks.

It’s believed he had two sets of scissors in his possession and had also thrown away a knife just before his arrest. He was taken to a Garda station in Dublin where he is being questioned about the stabbings under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act tonight. Garda sources say the incidents were not terror-related and the attacks appeared to be completely random. Officers flooded the area and sealed off a number of streets following the knife attacks.

It’s understood that the victims were attacked on Oxmantown Road, Manor Street and Niall Street. In a statement tonight, the Gardai said: “A male, aged in his late 20s, has been arrested and is currently detained at a Garda station in the North City. “Three males, whose ages range from mid-20s to mid-40s, who were assaulted in the course of the incident have been taken to hospital for treatment, two males for serious but not life-threatening injuries, one male with less serious injuries.

“The arrested male was initially intercepted and detained close to the scene of the incident by an unarmed uniformed member of An Garda Siochana.”. The drama unfolded just before 3pm when emergency services rushed to Oxmantown Road, near the North Circular Road. One victim was reportedly attacked at their home on Niall Street. Three nearby areas were sealed off as part of the investigation. All traffic diversions were later lifted.

There was a significant Garda presence in the area following the incidents, with other emergency services in attendance. Local shopkeeper Cindy Kinsella said the emergency services arrived very quickly. She said: “I didn’t see anything until after the event. I did hear someone shouting. A customer came in and said that ­someone had been injured and to phone an ambulance. When I went out I couldn’t see anybody.

“But the emergency ­services arrived very quickly in fairness to them and I found out what ­happened after that. “I saw people being put into an ambulance. Absolutely incredible, a quiet Sunday afternoon, some people out for a walk in the park.”. One witness described how she heard shouting on Niall Street, which runs parallel to Oxmantown Road. She said: “I heard a man shouting ‘help, help, I’ve been stabbed’ so we came out our door and saw him lying on the ground holding his neck.

“I checked his neck and saw that it wasn’t a deep wound, it was more like a slash, and that reassured him. "He got up then and said the guy who did it had gone around the corner. “The man who was attacked had only moved in a few months ago. He was just getting back to his house when he was attacked from behind.”. Another woman who lives near the scene on Niall Street said a man had been seen hanging around the street wearing a dark hoodie, and she thought it might be the same man who was later arrested.

Local Fine Gael councillor Ray McAdam attended the scene following the incidents. He said: “I’m involved in a number of community WhatsApp groups, you could see the messages coming in very quickly. "The message was for people to stay indoors, make sure you’re safe. There was an individual across a number of streets so people reacted to that. "There’s a level of shock, a level of concern — but the overriding sense here in Stonybatter is one of hope that those who have been impacted and injured will make a swift recovery.

“The Gardai flooded the area, from the Bridewell, from Cabra, and the community gardas were engaging with residences and individual householders all afternoon. “They were able to provide a level of reassurance all evening and that their presence will be maintained over the coming days to make sure that reassurance remains over the coming days.”. He added: “There’s a sense of ‘how could something like this happen in our neighbourhood’.”.