LAST UPDATE | 17 Feb 2025

THREE MEN HAVE been arrested in connection with the fatal stabbing of a man in Dublin city centre in the early hours of Saturday morning.

A 23-year-old man was arrested yesterday by PSNI in Belfast shortly before boarding a ferry.

This man is currently detained at a police station in Northern Ireland.

Gardaí investigating the attack had contacted the PSNI as part of their investigation and a spokesperson for the PSNI said its officers will continue to work closely with gardaí and that a further update will be provided in due course.

Another man aged in his 20s was arrested by Gardaí in Dublin following searches this morning, and is detained at a station in the Dublin region.

Meanwhile, a third man was arrested this evening in Dublin City.

He is currently detained at a Garda Station in the Dublin Region. 

34-year-old Quam Babatunde, an asylum seeker originally from Nigeria, died as a result of the stabbing attack, which occurred on South Anne Street at around 3am on Saturday morning.

The incident occurred after a music event in Dublin, where a small row between two groups of people is believed to have broken out.

It is believed that the row spilled out onto the street before the fatal stabbing occurred.

Quam Babatunde was found unresponsive by gardaí at the scene.

He was treated at the scene by emergency services personnel and transferred to hospital where he was pronounced deceased a short time later.

Babatunde had been living in Ballyogan accommodation centre in south Dublin while his application for international protection was being processed. 

Gardaí said that investigations are ongoing and continue to appeal for witnesses to come forward.

Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan today said he was being briefed by gardaí about the incident, adding that “Dubliners deserve to feel safe in our city”. 

“Gardaí have excellent CCTV footage in respect of the incident, I’ve been informed that there were people in a nightclub, a row developed, it developed out onto the street, and that’s where the fatality and violence occurred,” O’Callaghan told RTÉ Radio’s Last Week.

“You’re not allowed to carry knives in Ireland, and we’re not going to allow ourselves to develop into a society where young men are carrying knives, it’s completely unacceptable,” he added.

‘Repugnant reactive racism’

Advocacy charity Black and Irish spoke out against individuals using the event to “score political points”, saying that that they had already seen “vitriolic reactive racism” online in relation to the incident.

“We condemn the repugnant reactive racism we are seeing online and the political point scoring that is happening as a result of this tragic incident,” the group said in a statement online.

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“We must all work together to combat this and we will need your help.”

“The advocacy group called for a “coordinated long-lasting campaign” to tackle the issue.