A 16-year-old boy has been arrested following the stabbing death of an Irish Army chaplain at a Galway city barracks late on Thursday night.
Father Paul Murphy, a priest attached to Renmore Barracks in Galway, Ireland, was reportedly approached by a young man around 10:45pm on Thursday night and suffered multiple stab wounds.
be Report from The Irish TimesThe attack is believed to have happened while the pastor was waiting in his car for the barracks gates to open. Father Murphy is believed to have been wearing plain clothes at the time, according to the newspaper.
Army sentries are said to have fired five warning shots during the incident and eventually used batons to subdue the suspect, identified only as a 16-year-old male and Irish national.
The suspect is reportedly currently being held at a police station in the Northwest, but due to his age he cannot be questioned until a parent or other custodial adult gives permission.
Irish journal newspaper ReportsPolice sources said the teenage suspect had made comments at the scene about the country’s military involvement in the Middle East.
Police, however, said they believed the attack was unrelated to terrorism after reviewing previous interactions with the suspect and that a mental assessment of the suspect’s condition would also be carried out.
British soldier seriously injured after being stabbed outside barrackshttps://t.co/QoUhFTgERA
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Thankfully, despite the attack, Father Murphy’s condition is not life-threatening.
in post While awaiting surgery, the pastor posted on Facebook: “Thank you to all my friends for your prayers, love and concern. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to reply to all your messages or answer all your calls. I am fine. Just waiting for my surgery. Everything will be fine.”
Local councillor Alan Cheevers said Mr Murphy had worked at Renmore Barracks for the past 12 years and was “very much a part of the local community”.
“It’s really concerning that something like this happens in an area that has such low rates of crime and anti-social behaviour,” Mr Cheevers said.
