Police arrested a 17-year-old Irish national following a knife attack on a priest outside Renmore Barracks in Galway, on the night of Thursday, August 15th.
The 52-year-old army chaplain’s wounds, to his arms, are described as serious but non-life threatening. Five warning shots were fired by on-duty Defence Forces personnel as they intervened to prevent further injury after the suspect ignored earlier warnings.
An Irish Defence Forces representative described the warning shots as “in strict accordance with force protection protocols,” after the priest was “assaulted by a male civilian.”
Gardaí (Irish police) detained the suspect for further questioning in Galway, and are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident. No further information about the knifeman or his motives have been released.
The unnamed Defence Forces chaplain is described as having served on a number of overseas missions. He took to social media to confirm that he is awaiting hospital surgery, reassuring the public that “all will be well”:
Friends, thank you for your prayers, love, and concern.
Throughout Western Europe, the release of limited and often vague details on knife attacks is a growing concern, even when the age of the suspect may be a factor delaying the release of information.