Dublin stabbings – latest: Five-year-old girl seriously injured after ‘stabbing’ outside school

Moving to reassure the public, Supt Geraghty said: “I don’t have a specific reason why the children or any of their carers or teachers may have been on the street but it’s a public road, it’s outside their school, it’s a normal activity for them to be going to or from their school. We need to determine the reasons behind the attack.”

Supt Geraghty reiterates that gardaí believe it was a standalone incident unconnected to any “wider issues in the country or the city”.

He appeals to people not to jump to conclusions and not to “make rash judgements on what may have happened”.

Superintendent Liam Geraghty said the parents of the children involved in the Dublin incident were aware of the incident very quickly.

“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,” the Garda officer said.

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

“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.

Superintendent Liam Geraghty says Gardai are appealing to anyone with information or mobile phone footage to contact them and “make this footage available to An Garda Síochána”.

Speaking at a press conference in Dublin, Superintendent Liam Geraghty said An Garda Siochana “continues to have an open mind at this early stage of the investigation”, but are satisfied there is no terrorist link.

“This is a very early stage of the investigation which is not even four hours old at this stage, but at this time An Garda Siochana is satisfied from our inquiries that there is no terror-related activity or related to any wider aspects in relation to this matter,” he said.

“It would appear to be a standalone attack, and we need to determine the reasons behind that.”

Supt Geraghty said his understanding is that a knife was used in the attack, but he could not provide more detail on the nature of the injuries.

Superintendent Liam Geraghty told a press conference that an examination of the scene remains onoing, and that a man in his 50s is a person of interest.

He said: “The scene remains sealed off at this time 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 Siochana is following a definite line of inquiry.

“The male in his 50s is a person of interest to An Garda Siochana in this investigation and An Garda Siochana is not looking for any other person at this time.”

A boy who is five and a girl who is six were taken to CHI Crumlin with less serious injuries and the boy has already been discharged, Supt Liam Geraghty told reporters.

An adult woman in her 30s is being treated for serious injuries at the Mater Hospital.

An adult man in his 50s is being treated for serious injuries at a hospital in the Dublin region.

A five-year-old girl is receiving emergency medical treatment following a serious assault in Dublin city centre, Irish police have said

Superintendent Liam Geraghty said: “An Garda Siochana continue to investigate all of the circumstances of a serious assault which occurred on Parnell Square East shortly after 1.30pm this afternoon.

“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.

“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.”

The scene of the incident is close to Irish language-medium primary school Gaelscoil Cholaiste Mhuire.

The school has 172 pupils and is based in a four-storey Georgian building, with some accounts saying that the attack occurred as children were emerging onto the street.

The knife was thrown under trees on the opposite side of the road outside the Rotunda hospital, the Irish Times reported.

In a statement posted on social media, Dublin Lord Mayor Daithí de Róiste said: “On behalf of all the citizens of Dublin, I want to express my complete shock and sadness at the attack in Parnell Square today.

“To think that evil like this could happen, particularly to innocent children, is just devastating.

“The thoughts of our city are with the families involved this evening and, like everyone else, I am praying that these children and the adult involved will make a full recovery.

“I want to thank the brave members of the public who assisted at the scene, the emergency services who responded within minutes and the hospital staff who are caring for those attacked.”

Speaking at the scene of a stabbing attack in Dublin, Sinn Fein president Mary-Lou McDonald said children who witnessed what happened have been traumatised.

“Our heart goes out to the whole school community, to the children, the parents, the teachers,” she said.

“I know that the gardai 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.”