DUBLIN – Five people, including three children, were taken to hospital on Thursday after a suspected knife attack occurred outside a school in Dublin, according to Irish police.

Police declared a serious incident and set up a cordon around Parnell Square in the heart of the Irish capital, but said they did not suspect a terrorist motive.

Irish media and eyewitnesses reported that a man armed with a knife stabbed the victims outside the primary school.

Witnesses reported a man was disarmed and Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said a suspect had been arrested.

Garda Siochana police said in a statement they were pursuing “a clear line of inquiry” and were “not looking for any other individuals at this time”.

It added: “Five injured people were taken to various hospitals in the Dublin region.

“The victims 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.

“The adult female is being treated for serious injuries and the adult male is being treated for less serious injuries.”

The statement added that officers were investigating “all the circumstances” of what it called a “serious public order incident” that occurred shortly after 1:30 p.m. (1:30 GMT).

It said police were in contact with the parents of all three injured children.

‘BEYOND WORDS’

Witness Siobhan Kearney said the scene was “absolutely chaotic” as she initially watched the events unfold from across the street.

“Without thinking, I just walked across the street to help,” she told Irish national broadcaster RTE.

“We caught another young man, disarmed him (the attacker) with the knife, another man took the knife and put it away for the Garda to find.”

Kearney added that a group of people held the suspect to the ground while some of the injured were brought back to the school.

Varadkar said he was shocked by the incident.

“The emergency services reacted very quickly and were on site within a few minutes. For that I thank them,” he said in a statement.

“Gardai have arrested a suspect and are pursuing a clear line of inquiry.”

Local MP Aodhan O Riordai of the Irish Labor Party described the incident as “disturbing”.

“Understand that a person has been arrested. I hope the injuries are not serious, but regardless it will be extremely traumatic for everyone involved,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Mary Lou McDonald, leader of the opposition Sinn Féin party, said she was “appalled” by what happened.

“There is shock throughout the community. I have just spoken to Gaelscoil principal Choláiste Mhuire and expressed my support to the school community,” she said in a statement.

“I would like to express my solidarity with the families of those attacked. As a parent, I can only imagine what they are going through,” she added, praising police for their quick response.