A jury in Dublin has found Riad Bouchaker, 52, guilty of attempting to murder three young children in a knife attack that shocked Ireland and sparked one of the worst outbreaks of civil unrest the country has seen in decades. The Central Criminal Court returned guilty verdicts on all eight charges on Wednesday after around six hours of deliberation.

The attack took place on 23 November 2023, outside a crèche on Parnell Square, a street in central Dublin. Bouchaker, an Algerian national and Irish citizen who had lived in Ireland for approximately two decades, armed himself with a 30-centimetre kitchen knife and waited outside the childcare centre. When children emerged and lined up by a railing, he attacked. He stabbed a then five-year-old girl in the heart; she has since sustained a permanent brain injury and is now non-verbal, uses a wheelchair, and requires a feeding tube. Two other children — a five-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl — were hospitalised with less severe injuries. Crèche worker Leanne Flynn, who tried to shield the children, suffered two collapsed lungs along with injuries to her diaphragm, stomach and spleen. Bouchaker was eventually overpowered by bystanders, including a teenager who wrestled the knife from him.

The court heard that on the morning of the attack Bouchaker had learned he had been refused a social welfare payment. Defence lawyers argued he was unfit to stand trial — a claim disputed by a prosecution psychiatrist — and Judge Tony Hunt ultimately allowed proceedings to continue with the assistance of an interpreter and an intermediary. Throughout the three-week trial Bouchaker denied all charges and maintained he had not intended to kill anyone. Prosecutors countered that his choice of weapon, his targeting of small children, and the areas of the body he aimed for — the upper torso, neck, and head — demonstrated a clear intent to kill.

The night of the attack triggered a violent riot in Dublin city centre. Crowds chanting anti-immigrant slogans looted shops and set fire to buses, a tram, and police vehicles in scenes described as the worst unrest in Ireland in decades. Bouchaker, who has no fixed address, was found guilty on all counts. Judge Hunt praised the jury for their hard work, saying the verdicts were "entirely in line with the evidence" heard during the trial. Sentencing is scheduled for October, and Bouchaker will remain in custody until then. The case has reignited debate in Ireland about social cohesion, immigration, and the limits of political rhetoric in a climate of rising tension.