Irish police investigate whether army chaplain stabbing was terrorist-related – Euractiv

Irish police launched an investigation into the stabbing of an army chaplain by a teenager outside a military barracks in the western city of Galway on Friday (August 16) in what they said was a terrorism-related case.

Police said the victim, Paul Murphy, who is in his 50s, was stabbed multiple times Thursday night and is being treated for “serious but non-life-threatening” injuries.

A young man who was arrested outside Galway’s Lunmore barracks on Friday remains in police custody. He was subdued by soldiers who fired warning shots during the incident.

The investigation is currently being led by the Garda Síochána’s Special Detective Unit, which is responsible for responding to terrorist threats.

“One of the key focuses of the investigation is to determine whether there was a terrorist motive for the attack,” Irish police said in a statement.

However, police added that they “would like to reassure the public that at this time we do not believe this incident is part of a wider conspiracy”.

Prime Minister Simon Harris called it a “serious attack on a member of the defence force” but urged people to wait for the police investigation.

“We are conducting a serious investigation and it is important at this time that gardaí establish all the facts,” he said in a statement.

It is the latest unrest to hit Ireland and neighbouring Britain, both of which have seen anti-immigrant riots in recent weeks.

Last month, a soldier was stabbed near a military camp in southeast England, with police saying the culprit was likely suffering from “mental health-related” issues.

The attacker was subdued

The Irish Times cited police sources as saying that the suspect in Thursday’s attack was a 16-year-old Irishman from the Galway area who had been influenced by extremist ideas online in recent months.

The newspaper initially reported that the suspect was unhappy with the presence of the Irish Defence Forces in the Middle East.

But it was later clarified that the suspect had loudly complained about the Irish army’s involvement in the affairs of Mali in West Africa during the attack.

The Irish Defence Forces take part in various peacekeeping missions, including UN operations in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Israel, and the EU training mission in Mali.

According to the force’s website, they have about 100 personnel in total.

Murphy thanked the public for their prayers in a Facebook post Friday, adding that he was awaiting surgery.

According to The Irish Times, when the chaplain arrived at the barracks in his car, he was approached by a young man armed with a knife.

When the teen suspect approached the vehicle, Murphy rolled down his window and began stabbing the victim with a previously concealed knife, the newspaper reported.

According to a military statement, sentries at the camp fired five warning shots “in strict accordance with force protection protocols” and used batons to subdue the attackers.

Other personnel administered first aid to the pastor, who remained conscious while waiting for paramedics.

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Micheál Martin said: “I commend the members of the Defence Force who were on duty at the time, whose intervention was crucial.”

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