Dublin riots: Watch shocking moment masked yob brazenly sets police car on fire


This is the shocking moment a masked youth brazenly sets fire to a police car in Dublin, following the stabbing of three children and a woman in the city earlier in the day.

Riots broke out in the Irish capital with buses and trams torched and 400 police officers scrambled to attend the scene.

Helen McEntee, the Irish justice minister branded the disorder “intolerable”, adding that the “thuggish and manipulative element must not be allowed to use an appalling tragedy to wreak havoc”.

In the stunning clip, a male in a black hooded jacket and jeans – his face obscured – picked up a burning box in the street and carried it across the road to a Garda vehicle with one of its doors open.

The male placed the flaming box inside the car and shut the door, to cheers from those in the surrounding area.

The incident took place on Parnell Street, in front of the The Gate Hotel.

In a separate clip, a group of young set upon other Garda cars, before attempting to flip one of them over.

Police were “satisfied there is no terrorist link” to the appalling violence committed outside the Irish language school in Parnell Square East.

However, Drew Harris, Garda commissioner, said at a press conference yesterday evening: “I have never ruled out any possible motive for this attack … all lines of inquiry are open to determine the motive.”

Mr Harris added that it was too early to ascribe a motive to the attacker: “An individual has been arrested, we’re not seeking anyone else in respect of this incident itself at this moment in time but the investigation will obviously unfold.”

Following the incident, a man in his 50s was arrested by police and the authorities are not interested in speaking to anyone else.

Mr Harris blamed the riotous scenes on a “complete lunatic faction driven by far-right ideology”.

Ch Supt Patrick McMenamin revealed some officers had been assaulted in the wave of violence, however none were injured. Nor were members of the public hurt in the ugly scenes.

He added that gardaí remained on patrol in the city centre, also noting that “Dublin city centre is now calm and returning to normal.”

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