Terrorist attack in Ireland: Egyptian stabbed Japanese man to death and injured two others on the streets of the Dundalk

A Japanese man was stabbed to death and two others were injured in separate attacks on the streets of Ireland on Wednesday.

The Irish Mirror newspaper reported that the Japanese man, aged 24, was stabbed in the back while walking to work and was unaware of the attacker because he was wearing earphones. Paramedics tried to resuscitate him but were unsuccessful, according to the report.

The Japanese Embassy in Ireland said the victim’s family had requested that his name be withheld.

An 18-year-old Egyptian national has been arrested and detained at the Dundalk Police Station in the Republic of Ireland just south of the border with Northern Ireland, according to police.

The suspect has not been identified or charged. Authorities believe he had been seeking asylum in Ireland in recent days.

The victim was attacked on the street and stabbed on Wednesday morning in Dundalk. He died at the scene. Media reports say the other incidents took place in other parts of Dundalk, with one other person also being stabbed and another attacked with an iron post.

Chief Superintendent Christy Mangan said the police received emergency calls from three separate locations in the Dundalk area and were able to quickly apprehend the suspect, who was carrying a large fence post when taken into custody.

The first attack was reported at about 9 a.m. local time, Mangan said, adding that the attacks were spread out over 40 minutes.

He said no motive had been established and that terrorism was being seen as one possibility.

“We will endeavor to establish the suspect’s background, who they are and where they have come from and why are they here,” Mangan said at a news briefing. Police indicated the stabbing victim appeared to have been chosen at random and Mangan said it was not clear why an “innocent bystander” would be attacked. Mangan said the suspect had been in contact with the police two days earlier when questions were asked about his immigration status.

Dundalk, which is located near the border with Northern Ireland in the U.K., is a small town with a population of some 30,000. It is a transport hub along a highway connecting Dublin and Belfast, the largest city in Northern Ireland.

Source: Japan Times