A man has been found guilty of the attempted murder of three children in Dublin, in a case that has prompted the sharing of counter-terror intelligence between Irish and UK authorities. The verdict, delivered at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin on Thursday, concluded a trial that had been closely monitored by security services on both sides of the Irish Sea. The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was convicted on three counts of attempted murder following an attack that occurred in a residential area of north Dublin in May 2023.
The children, aged between two and six, were seriously injured in the incident, which police have described as a targeted attack. The Crown Prosecution Service in the UK confirmed that it had received a request for assistance from the Garda Síochána, Ireland's national police force, and had provided intelligence relating to the suspect's movements and contacts in Britain. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said that the sharing of information was part of a routine cooperation between the two countries' counter-terrorism units.
The trial heard that the defendant had expressed extremist views and had a history of mental health issues. The judge, Mr Justice Michael White, praised the bravery of the children and their families, and commended the swift response of emergency services. Sentencing is expected to take place next month.
The case has reignited debates about the handling of terror-related offences in Ireland, where the threat level is currently assessed as moderate. A senior Garda source said that the outcome of the trial demonstrated the effectiveness of cross-border intelligence sharing, which remains a key pillar of the Common Travel Area agreement between Ireland and the United Kingdom.
