A Dublin jury has convicted a 52-year-old man for the attempted murder of three children during a knife attack outside a city center creche in 2023.
Riad Bouchaker, an Algerian national and Irish citizen, was found guilty on all eight charges on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at the Central Criminal Court.
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The charges included the attempted murder of three children, assault causing serious harm to childcare worker Leanne Flynn, and assaulting two other children and a teenager who intervened.
The attack occurred on November 23, 2023, at Parnell Square, where Bouchaker used a 12-inch kitchen knife.
Prosecutors said Bouchaker targeted the upper bodies, necks, and heads of the young victims after being denied a social welfare payment that morning.
A five-year-old girl suffered a severe brain injury from a stab wound to the heart, leaving her non-verbal and reliant on a wheelchair and feeding tube.
Two other children required hospital care for less severe injuries.
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Flynn suffered two collapsed lungs and injuries to her diaphragm, stomach, and spleen while trying to shield the children.
Bystanders eventually subdued Bouchaker.
The incident triggered severe civil unrest in Dublin later that evening, with anti-immigrant demonstrations, looting, and destruction of police vehicles, buses, and a tram.
During the trial, a defense psychiatrist argued Bouchaker was unfit to face trial, but a prosecution expert disputed this.
Judge Tony Hunt allowed the three-week proceedings to continue with an interpreter and intermediary.
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The jury of three women and nine men delivered guilty verdicts. Judge Hunt thanked the jurors and scheduled the formal sentencing hearing for September.
