Gardai continue to quiz teen over attacks in which man died

Detectives are continuing to question the suspect over the random killing and assaults in Dundalk, Co Louth on Wednesday morning.

The arrested man, aged 18 and from Egypt, was being interviewed while gardai liaise with counterparts in the UK and Cairo in a bid to establish the man’s background.

Gardai have not established a definite motive for the violent spree in the Avenue Road area of the town at around 9am on Wednesday, but Chief Superintendent Christy Mangan said a potential terror link was being investigated.

The arrested man had come into contact with gardai in Dundalk on January 1 when inquiries about his immigration status were conducted.

It is believed he had applied for asylum in the Irish Republic.

The series of attacks started when a Japanese man, aged 24 and living in Ireland for the last year, was fatally stabbed on Avenue Road in the town shortly before 9am.

An Irish man was injured when he was stabbed a short time later on nearby Coes Road. At 9.40am gardai received a report that another local man was injured in an attack with a fence pole at Seatown Place.

Gardai can hold the arrested man until this evening when a decision will be made on whether to charge him or apply to have his period of detention extended.