An Algerian national was found guilty Wednesday of attempted murder after a trial into a 2023 Dublin knife attack that injured multiple children and sparked rioting and looting.
Riad Bouchaker, 52, who is also an Irish citizen, had denied all eight charges arising from the attack outside a school in central Dublin on November 23, 2023, which left a five-year-old girl and a woman in her 30s in a critical condition.
The young girl, who was stabbed in the heart by Bouchaker, is now non-verbal, uses a wheelchair and cannot swallow safely.
A five-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl were also injured.
Within hours of the attack, misinformation about the suspect’s identity spread online, fuelling anger among anti-immigration activists and far-right groups.
The worst rioting seen in the Irish capital for decades erupted in the city centre later that day as crowds clashed with police, set vehicles on fire and looted shops.
Speaking through an interpreter, Bouchaker pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder, and three counts of assault causing harm.
He also pleaded not guilty to one count each of intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm, and brandishing a dangerous weapon — a 36-centimetre-long (14-inch) kitchen knife.
Judge Tony Hunt told the jury that two years before the attack, the accused suffered from a benign brain tumour that required surgery.
Hunt also said that due to interventions by bystanders immediately after the attack, Bouchaker suffered a head injury that required hospital treatment.
He was only formally arrested in December 2023.
He was found fit to stand trial, and “there is no suggestion that he was suffering mental disorder at the time of the incident”, said the judge.
The knife attack and ensuing riots shocked the country and triggered days of debate over immigration, online misinformation and public order.
Dozens of people were subsequently arrested and prosecuted over the disorder.
Evidence was heard from over 80 witnesses including eyewitnesses, emergency responders, police, and forensic experts.
Bouchaker is due to be sentenced on October 12.
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