One person has been stabbed to death and two others have been injured in what is being described as a series of ‘random attacks’ in Ireland.
Gardai arrested a heavily-armed teenager born in North Africa and officers are investigating if three separate incidents are terror-related.
The knife attack happened shortly before 9am in Dundalk and the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
The attacker has been identified as an 18-year-old Egyptian who had been in contact with the police on New Year’s Day with regards his immigration status.
The stabbing victim is a 24-year-old Japanese man working in Ireland and the two injured in separate attacks are Irish.
Their conditions are unknown at this stage but one was assaulted with an iron bar or similar object like a fence pole and the other was also stabbed.
Police officers confronted and disarmed the attacker, who was said to be carrying a number of weapons.
Investigators are working to establish whether or not the knifeman knew his victims and whether the incident was planned.
Gardai have not established a definite motive for the violent spree, but Chief Superintendent Christy Mangan said a potential terror link was being investigated.
‘A terror attack is a line of inquiry,’ he said.
‘It is certainly a line that we would look at. We will endeavour to establish the suspect’s background, who they are and where they have come from and why are they here.
Mr Mangan declined to confirm whether a potential mental health link was another line of inquiry.
He said the suspect had come into contact with gardai on January 1 when inquiries about his immigration status were conducted.
The senior officer said he believed the teenager was seeking asylum in the Irish Republic.
Mr Mangan said he believed the perpetrator was on foot and the victims were selected at random.

source: dailymail.co.uk