‘I smashed Dublin knifeman in his head with my helmet, he went down’: Hero Brazilian Deliveroo rider tells how he ended school bloodbath – girl, 5, is critical and creche worker hurt shielding kids is serious after stabbing by ‘psychotic’ man sparked riots

The hero Brazilian Deliveroo rider has told how he ended the school attack in Dublin which left two in serious condition after being stabbed by an allegedly ‘psychotic’ man. 

The woman, a creche worker thought to be in her 30s, was seriously injured after she ran to the aid of the little girl attacked by the knifeman in his 50s. Sources told Irish national press that her actions may have saved two other children aged five and six from serious harm.

The bloodbath was only ended when Brazilian Deliveroo driver Caio Benicio, 43, knocked down the knifeman with his helmet.

‘I didn’t even make a decision, it was pure instinct, and it was all over in seconds. He fell to the ground, I didn’t see where knife went, and other people stepped in,’ he told The Journal last night.

Following the brutal knife attack outside Gaelscoil Colaiste Mhuire in Parnell Square East, unsubstantiated reports began spreading on social media that the suspect was a foreign national. Anti-immigration protesters then flooded the Irish capital and incited a riot.

No statement has been made on the suspect’s nationality – but gardai say they are satisfied the incident is not terror related. 

The Irish Independent reports that he is an Irish citizen who, while not born in the country, had lived there for a number of years. Detectives are said to be following a line of inquiry that he may have suffered a ‘psychotic episode’ prior to the attack.

The bloodbath was only ended when Brazilian Deliveroo driver Caio Benicio (second from right), 43, knocked down the knifeman with his helmet

Gardai clashed with rioters in Dublin after several people were injured in a stabbing outside a school in the Irish capital

Unconfirmed reports on social media speculated about the suspect’s nationality, causing angry locals to take to the streets in protest. However, Garda police have made no statement on whether the suspect was a foreign national

The Holiday Inn Express in Dublin city centre was targeted by thugs, who smashed windows with a sledgehammer. Unsubstantiated reports on social media suggested the hotel was housing asylum seekers

Videos now show violent scenes unfolding close to the site of the attack as protesters gathered and shouted: ‘Get them out’

After setting several police vehicles, a double decker bus and a tram alight, videos circulating on X show that people have began to loot as they broke into several stores, like Foot Locker (pictured above) and took armfuls of items

Some protesters have been involved in scuffles with gardai while others threw bottles at them. Footage shows a protester throwing a bin bag at Gardai while one man stands in front of the policemen holding his hands up shouting ‘stop’.

Violent scenes are unfolding close to the site of the attack in Dublin city centre as crowds of protesters gathered

A bus was set on fire by ‘hooligans’ during a riot in Dublin last night

The incident happened shortly after 1pm in the city centre. A source told the paper the five year old girl was stabbed in the neck – but that the creche worker’s actions may have stopped the other children from suffering more grievous injuries.

They said: ‘She defended those children with all her strength – all that she was doing was trying to protect those little kids and people in what was is a very built up area in the city centre saw what was happening when they passed the school.’

The man was detained by gardai after he was tackled by heroic members of the public, who intervened in the attack. 

One of them was father-of-two Benicio, who is now celebrated on social media for his actions, but the humble 43-year-old said he did ‘what anyone would do’.

He said his thoughts are with the five-year-old girl, who is reportedly in serious condition in hospital: ‘I am praying, it’s all I am thinking of. I saw her in the ambulance, she looked so vulnerable, I had to go with gardai then. I am waiting for news about her. I am hoping.’

He said if any of the young victims wouldn’t survive, he would always think what he could have done better, but if all of the children survive, he would simply be ‘thankful’ that he was in the right place at the right time. 

Benicio came to Ireland to find work after his restaurant back in Brazil burned down and he hopes his children can join him in Dublin eventually.

The civil unrest last night, which police chiefs said was caused by ‘far-right’ thugs, was spurred on by prolific social media accounts associated with the far-right that have made as-yet-unsubstantiated claims that the attacker is an ‘immigrant’. 

Benicio said the riots last night made him sad due to the anti-immigrant sentiments.

‘It looks like they hate immigrants. Well I am an immigrant, and I did what I could to try and save that little girl,’ he said.

In a voice message he sent to his friends, seen by Brazilian newspaper O Tempo, Benicio said: ‘I saw the guy pulling the teacher, picking up the child. I stopped to see what was happening, I thought it was a normal fight.’

But then, the attacker pulled a knife: ‘Man, I threw the bike on the ground and went after the guy… I didn’t even think about it. I took off my helmet and hit the helmet on his head, which knocked the guy down,’ Benicio added.

A Garda public order unit has been deployed in the area around Parnell Square, Parnell Street and O’Connell Street

A man pushes the shield of an officer from riot police during the protest in Dublin

Riot police had no choice but to stand by as a car was burning just a few metres away from them

In the background, a man can be heard pleading: ‘Nah lads, this is not on the f****** poor Gardai’

A bus was torched by rioters who scrawled the word ‘out’ across its rear as it burned

Violent scenes have unfolded close to the site of the attack in Dublin city centre as crowds of protesters gathered

Videos show a double decker bus and a car set ablaze on O’Connell Street in the city centre

Protesters surrounded a Garda police car that was on fire in the city centre

Michael D. Higgins, the president of Ireland, has hit out at rioters, accusing them of weaponising the attacks in a ‘reprehensible’ manner.

He said last night: ‘All of our thoughts are with each of the children and their families affected by today’s horrific attack outside Gaelscoil Colaiste Mhuire in Dublin city centre.

‘We are particularly thinking of the five year old girl and the member of staff caring for her who are both in serious condition in hospital. All of our prayers are with each of them for a full recovery. The Gardai deserve all of our support in dealing with this incident. 

‘This appalling incident is a matter for the Gardai and that it would be used or abused by groups with an agenda that attacks the principle of social inclusion is reprehensible and deserves condemnation by all those who believe in the rule of law and democracy.’

Ireland’s justice minister Helen McEntee described the riots in Dublin as ‘not something we have ever experienced’, saying that the rioters were in the city to ‘create division’.

She added: ‘They do not care about these children who are in hospital. Our focus and our priority should be on making sure that these children are safe, that they make a full recovery.’

Videos circulating on X show people set several police vehicles, a double decker bus and a tram alight and have begun to loot stores, breaking in and stealing armfuls of items.

Riot police were deployed as they faced hundreds of ‘hooligans’ who turned the area around Parnell Square, Parnell Street and O’Connell Street in Dublin into a battleground.

Security sources told the Irish Daily Mail that gardaí had to be bussed in from outside the capital to deal with the raging violence. 

Protesters vandalise a police vehicle before setting it on fire during a demonstration following a stabbing that left a five-year-old girl in serious condition

Broken windows of a shop in Dublin city centre after violent scenes unfolded

Another fire was burning on the opposite side of the street, while a damaged Luas tram has also been set alight

A bus and car on fire on O’Connell Street in Dublin city centre after violent scenes unfolded in the Irish city

Irish ‘hooligans’ set police car on fire in Dublin in chaos following mass stabbing

The public order unit was despatched around the capital to deal with waves of violence erupting as the nation reeled from the knife attack.

Dozens of frontline gardai stood side by side to prevent the mob from advancing further up Parnell Street with members of the riot squad – equipped with protective clothing, helmets and shields – meeting them head-on.

Sources described how the chaos occurred in several pockets of Dublin, with units of the force rushing from several districts to stem the violence.

One source said: ‘The city is under siege. That is what I have to say. I have not seen anything like this in a very long time. There is just chaos everywhere. I can’t believe what I am seeing.

‘The public order units are out everywhere. Lads are being drafted in from other places. There are gardaí getting punched. There are huge gangs of people confronting the officers. There’s fireworks being thrown at gardaí. This is just madness. This has the potential to escalate even further.’

Footage shows furious protesters attacking a man who appears to be a security guard while others shout: ‘Protect our kids.’ 

Some protesters have been involved in scuffles with gardai while others threw bottles at them, with people chanting: ‘Get them out.’ 

A video shows a protester throwing a bin bag at Gardai while one man stands in front of the policemen holding his hands up shouting ‘stop’. In the background, a man can be heard pleading: ‘Nah lads, this is not on the f****** poor Gardai.’

Shortly after, an angry mob storms towards the officers, while the man says: ‘The Gardia could get seriously injured. This is horrible.’

A Garda police car on Parnell Street in Dublin was engulfed in flames, but it is unclear whether anyone was injured in the fire. Another fire was burning on the opposite side of the street, while a damaged Luas tram has also been set alight. 

Videos show a double decker bus set ablaze on O’Connell Street in the city centre while hundreds of protesters look towards the inferno. Another bus appeared to have been stolen in another video, which shows the bus number 13 being driven away while officers chased after it.

Scenes turned increasingly violent as protesters can be seen kicking and throwing items at police cars. In one video, a crowd of protesters walks in front of a retreating Garda vehicle while someone shouts at people to ‘smash it’.

Fires burned all over Dublin last night after riots broke out in the city centre

Flames rise from the car and a bus, set alight at the junction of Bachelors Walk and the O’Connell Bridge in Dublin

Hundreds of protesters are facing off against An Garda Siochana in Dublin city centre

Officers stand guard as a car is engulfed in flames in Dublin’s city centre

A Garda police car has been set alight in the city centre in Dublin

Parked police cars were set on fire and vandalised, with videos showing rioters jumping on the vehicles as well as banding together to try and turn them over. Footage also shows officers standing in line to block of a street while protesters seem to shoot fireworks towards them. 

A Foot Locker store on O’Connell Street was looted by rioters, who used metal bars to smash shop windows before pouring inside. People threw bottles at police on the famous Dublin street.

A Holiday Inn Express hotel in the city centre was targeted by thugs who smashed its windows; the Reuters news agency also reports that a McDonald’s was attacked.

Unsubstantiated reports on social media have suggested that the hotel, on one of Dublin’s key tourist streets, was housing asylum seekers. 

Guests were seen peering out of windows on upper floors of the hotel as rioters stood outside at around 7.30pm. MailOnline has contacted Holiday Inn parent company IHG for comment. 

In a series of co-ordinated presses, officers dispersed a large portion of the crowd onto nearby roads.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has described ‘disgraceful scenes’ in Dublin on Thursday night as he called for ‘calm heads’ and warned against ‘misinformation’ as violence flared following an attack outside a school.

He said a ‘complete lunatic faction driven by far-right ideology’ is behind disorder in Dublin this evening. He said a number of Garda vehicles have been damaged.

Harris also refused to rule out the possibility the stabbing attack was terror-related, despite the Garda Press Office having done so just hours earlier, calling it a ‘standalone incident’. 

He said he was not ruling anything out and refused to say it was not terror-related.

One source told the Irish Daily Mail: ‘Gardaí are looking extensively into this man’s background: who he is, where he’s from, how he came to Ireland. They will also look at any possible link between him and the injured children or those who attended the school.

‘We have to say fair play to those people who stepped in. They gave that man a good hiding to make sure he wasn’t going to get up and hurt more people, but I can tell you now that they saved lives.’

Smoke billowed into the night sky over Dublin after protesters torched a Garda car in the city centre

People break windows of a buss during a demonstration following of a suspected stabbing that left few children injured in Dublin

The protest has turned into a riot as hundreds took to the streets of Dublin following the stabbing

Dublin’s city centre was illuminated by torched car last night after rioters set police vehicles alight

Clashes between protesters and police have turned violent as the rioters attacked officers and threw items at them

Harris added: ‘I think there’s disgraceful scenes in terms of a major investigation, the maintenance of a scene and the gathering of evidence. We have a complete lunatic hooligan faction driven by far-right ideology, and also then this disruptive tendency engaged in serious violence.

‘We are drafting in resources to deal with that and that will be dealt with properly. I’ve given full direction to our resources here in respect of making arrests and bringing offenders to justice.

‘It’s our responsibility to make sure that we police the streets, and part of that is we ask people to act responsibly and not to listen to the misinformation and rumour that is circulating on social media. 

‘The facts are being established, but the facts are still not clear on a lot of the rumour and the innuendo is being spread for malevolent purposes.’ 

A number of prolific accounts on X, formerly Twitter, have suggested that ‘immigrants’ or ‘migrants’ were to blame for the violence outside a school on Parnell Square East yesterday.

In a statement, Irish justice minister Helen McEntee said last night: ‘The horrific attack today in Dublin city centre was an appalling crime that has shocked us all. 

‘An Garda Siochana are following a definite line of inquiry and are not looking for anyone else regarding this crime. The perpetrator will be brought to justice.

‘However, the scenes we are witnessing this evening in our city centre cannot and will not be tolerated. A thuggish and manipulative element must not be allowed use an appalling tragedy to wreak havoc.

‘I have spoken to local TDs from all sides of the Dail and we are of the same view. We will not tolerate a small number using an appalling incident to spread division.

‘I would appeal for calm in the city centre as An Garda Siochana carry out their work – attacks on members of An Garda Siochana must be utterly condemned and will be dealt with severely.

‘I am meeting the Garda Commissioner this evening to discuss the policing plan in the city tonight. Most importantly, we must remember the real tragedy of today and allow the investigations take their course.’

Riot police walks next to a burning police vehicle in Dublin

Black clouds of smoke billowed into the air after several vehicles were set on fire in Dublin

Protesters brought Irish flags and a sign saying ‘Irish lives matter’ as they face off against police

Some protesters have been involved in scuffles with gardai while others threw bottles at officers

An Garda Siochana unit faced off against angry protesters following the stabbing in Dublin

One protester kicked the shield of an officers while others shouted and threw items at the Gardai

A fire in a bus burns as hundreds of people have gathered near the scene of the stabbing 

The protest has turned violent as hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Dublin last night

Police are facing of against furious protesters in Dublin city centre after five people were injured in a knife attack

A Garda police car on Parnell Street in Dublin was engulfed in flames, but it is unclear whether anyone was injured in the fire. Another fire was burning on the opposite side of the street

Rioters also set off fireworks and sometimes even aimed them at police officers as vehicles the protesters set alight burn in the background

Many angry protesters took the streets of Dublin as riot police was deployed

An Garda Siochana are at the scene as riots in Dublin’s city centre have turned violent

Riot police are standing guard, with police officers following in a line behind

People stand in front of riot police near the scene of the stabbing attack

A person faces a police officer near the scene of a suspected stabbing

Police officers have been deployed to bring order after furious protesters have taken to the streets of Dublin

Witnesses revealed that three children ‘fell to the ground’ one after the other as police have said that a five-year-old girl is receiving emergency medical treatment following the assault.

One of the three children, a girl, and a woman in her 30s suffered ‘serious’ injuries, and a man in his 50s and two other children were also among the injured, police said. All five were taken to hospital. 

READ MORE: Dublin stabbing horror: Police rule out terrorism as witness reveals ‘one kid fell to the ground, then another, then another’ as five people including a woman are wounded when ‘knifeman attacks group of young children’

Police said the man in his 50s, who is receiving treatment for his injuries in Dublin, is currently ‘a person of interest’ and they are not looking for any other person at this time.

Passersby overpowered the assailant outside a school and were able to disarm him, witnesses have said. 

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar confirmed Gardai have detained a suspect following the incident in Dublin city centre. 

‘The kids were out walking. All of a sudden one of them fell to the ground, then another fell to the ground, then another falls to the ground,’ a man who saw the attack unfold told the Irish Independent.

‘Then this guy started running past’, he said, and ‘a load of people jumped on him.’

Following the attacks, a furious row broke on Parnell Street near the site of the stabbings, with a man being accused of ‘defending’ the attacks, with several people outraged by the incident that occurred near a school. 

Irish police confirmed a total of five people were injured following the ‘major security’ incident which occurred shortly after 1.30pm on Parnell Square.

Speaking at a press conference in Dublin, Superintendent Liam Geraghty said An Garda Siochana ‘continues to have an open mind at this early stage of the investigation’, but are satisfied there is no terrorist link.

‘This is a very early stage of the investigation which is not even four hours old at this stage, but at this time An Garda Siochana is satisfied from our inquiries that there is no terror-related activity or related to any wider aspects in relation to this matter,’ he said.

‘It would appear to be a standalone attack, and we need to determine the reasons behind that.’

Riot police stands guard next to a burning police vehicle as protesters flood into Dublin’s city centre

Police officers stand guard near the scene of a suspected stabbing that left few children injured in Dublin

An Garda Siochana at the scene in Dublin city centre after five people were injured, including three young children

Police have ruled out terrorism as witnesses revealed that three children ‘fell to the ground’ one after the other as five people were wounded

Irish police confirmed five people had been injured, including three young children, following the serious incident which occurred shortly after 1.30pm

Speaking at a press conference in Dublin, Superintendent Liam Geraghty said An Garda Siochana ‘continues to have an open mind at this early stage of the investigation’

Michael D Higgins, the president of Ireland, has accused rioters of weaponising the attack at the school in a ‘reprehensible’ manner

Superintendent Geraghty said his understanding is that a knife was used in the attack, but he could not provide more detail on the nature of the injuries.

He added: ‘An Garda Siochana continue to investigate all of the circumstances of a serious assault which occurred on Parnell Square East shortly after 1.30pm this afternoon.

‘Preliminary indications are that a male attacked a number of people on Parnell Square East. Five casualties have been taken to hospitals in the Dublin region.

‘These casualties include three young children, an adult female and an adult male. One girl, aged five years, has sustained serious injuries and is currently receiving emergency medical treatment in CHI Temple Street.’

One of the three children, a girl, and the woman sustained ‘serious’ injuries in the incident on the square found in the north inner-city of the Irish capital.

The man and the two other children sustained less serious injuries, the Gardai said, which added it had been in contact with the parents of the injured children.

Police said they are following a ‘definite line of inquiry’ and that they were not looking for any other person at this time. 

A large knife has been seized from the scene, local reports said.

The incident took place outside Gaelscoil Coláiste Mhuire, a school for primary-aged children. Police are working to establish a motive but do not suspect a terrorist motivation behind the attack, Irish national broadcaster RTE reported.

Several people intervened and disarmed the man, witnesses said.

One said they saw a large knife being taken from the suspect and thrown under trees opposite Rotunda Hospital, which sits in the middle of the square.

Another told how she and another bystander disarmed a man with a knife.

Irish police confirmed a total of five people were injured following the ‘major security’ incident which occurred shortly after 1.30pm on Parnell Square

Police said the man in his 50s, who is receiving treatment for his injuries in Dublin, is currently ‘a person of interest’ and they are not looking for any other person at this time

Other eyewitnesses told the Irish Daily Mail that they saw a young girl ‘around four years of age’ receiving emergency treatment from a passerby

Five people including three children were injured yesterday when a knifeman attacked a group of young people in Dublin before being overpowered, according to reports 

The incident took place outside Gaelscoil Coláiste Mhuire, a school for primary-aged children (Pictured: People stand outside the cordon near the scene of a serious incident near Parnell Street East)

‘Without thinking, I just took across the road to help out,’ Siobhan Kearney said, describing the scene as ‘absolutely bedlam’ to RTE.

‘Two children and the woman were taken back into the school where they were coming from’ as the man was restrained on the ground by several people.

‘Me and an American lady formed a ring around him saying we’d wait on the Garda.’

Kearney said the children were about six years of age, and that she believed the woman who was injured was either a teacher or a bystander.  

Other eyewitnesses told the Irish Daily Mail that they saw a young girl ‘around four years of age’ receiving emergency treatment from a passerby. 

Police said they are following a ‘definite line of inquiry’ and that they were not looking for any other person at this tim

One eyewitness said the children were about six years of age, and that she believed the woman who was injured was either a teacher or a bystander

He said: ‘I saw a young girl with blood all over her and a woman was giving her treatment. There was just chaos everywhere. Everybody was in tears. 

‘I can’t imagine what the parents are going through.’ 

Dublin city councillor Nial Ring said he had spoken to a woman who was on her way to the Stardust inquiry.

He said the woman ‘on seeing the attack confronted the attacker with another man (I understand he was a Deliveroo cyclist) and managed to get the knife off him. 

‘Those two citizens are real heroes and probably prevented even more carnage.’ 

Police officers work at the scene of a suspected stabbing that left few children injured in Dublin, Ireland, November 23

‘Five casualties have been taken to various hospitals in the Dublin region,’ a Garda spokesperson said. 

‘The casualties include an adult male, an adult female and three young children.

‘One child, a girl, has sustained serious injuries, the other two children are being treated for less serious injuries.

‘An Garda Siochana is in contact with parents of all three injured children.’

A reporter for RTE at the scene said the street was sealed off, but that parents have been allowed to enter with assistance from Garda to go up to the school to see their children. He said parents were frantic in their efforts to get close.

Superintendent Geraghty said his understanding is that a knife was used in the attack, but he could not provide more detail on the nature of the injuries

Superintendent Liam Geraghty said a five-year-old boy and six-year-old girl were treated for less serious injuries after the incident in Dublin.

He said: ‘The boy has since been discharged from CHI Crumlin.

‘An Garda Siochana is providing support to the parents of all the children.

‘The adult female in her 30s is being treated for serious injuries at the Mater Hospital.

‘An adult male in his 50s is also being treated for serious injuries at a hospital in the Dublin region.

‘The scene remains sealed off at this time and a technical examination of the scene is ongoing.

‘An incident room has been established at Mountjoy Garda Station and a senior investigating officer has been appointed.

‘An Garda Siochana is following a definite line of inquiry.

Witnesses said they saw a large knife being taken from the suspect and thrown under trees opposite Rotunda Hospital, which sits in the square, according to local reports

‘The male in his 50s is a person of interest to An Garda Siochana in this investigation and An Garda Siochana is not looking for any other person at this time.’

Earlier, a police spokesperson said they were responding to a ‘serious incident’. 

‘An Garda Síochána are currently at the scene of a serious incident on Parnell Square East and are being assisted [by] other emergency services,’ they said.

Ireland’s Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, said she was ‘deeply shocked’ by the ‘appalling attack on three innocent children and women in Dublin’ yesterday.

‘All our thoughts are with those injured, especially with the children, their parents and families, during this extremely difficult period.’

She added: ‘It is my understanding that Gardaí are following a definite line of inquiry and are not looking for any other person at this time.’ 

A reporter for RTE at the scene said the street was sealed off, but that parents have been allowed to enter with assistance from Garda to go up to the school to see their children

‘We are all shocked by the incident which has taken place in Parnell Square,’ the Irish premier said. ‘A number of people have been injured, some of them children.

‘Our thoughts and our prayers go out to them and their families.

‘I have been in contact with the Minister for Justice who is keeping me updated. The facts in this matter are still emerging. ‘The emergency services responded very quickly and were on site within minutes. I thank them for that.

‘Gardai have detained a suspect and are following a definite line of inquiry.’

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said Gardai have detained a suspect following the incident in Dublin city centre

Pictures shared online showed several ambulances and other emergency vehicles parked around Parnell Square, specifically Parnell Square East.

A number of education facilities are situated around the square.

The concentration of emergency service vehicles in the pictures from the scene appeared to be outside Gaelscoil Cholaiste Mhuire, a primary school.

RTE reported that officials were still trying to determine exactly what happened and had sealed off the area. All lanes on the road have been closed.

It is understood that at the same time the attack was unfolding, an inquest was being heard nearby on the Stardust nightclub tragedy, a fatal fire that tore through the Stardust nightclub in Artane, Dublin in 1981, killing 48 people.

A witness from the inquest, who also witnessed the attack, said a number of young men intervened to help as yesterday’s attack unfolded.

They said emergency services arrived at the scene within minutes. 

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