Young man (24) accused of bridge attack held Algerian in headlock during stabbing, court told
Abdul Kouadria (24), with an address at Gardiner Street, Dublin 1 and previously of Richmond Road, Dublin 3, was refused bail by Judge Michele Finan at Dublin District Court on Thursday.
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The Irish-Algerian accused was charged with assault causing harm to the man who remains in intensive care at the Mater Hospital after he suffered life-threatening injuries at Rosie Hackett Bridge, Eden Quay, Dublin 1 on Monday afternoon.
Objecting to bail, Detective Garda Sean Dineen cited the seriousness of the case and submitted that the accused was a flight risk. He mentioned that Mr Kouadria had been born in Ireland but mainly lived outside the country and returned about three years ago.
He said there was an altercation at 4.30pm on Monday, and according to onlookers, the accused and the injured man "were engaged in a scuffle on the bridge."
It was alleged Mr Kouadria "placed him in a headlock and dragged him on the ground," and another man approached.
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It was unclear who brought the knife to the scene, but witnesses purportedly saw the second alleged attacker stab the man using several stabbing and slashing motions.
The detective said the Garda position was that the critical injuries were a result of a "joint enterprise assault", inflicted by the accused and a second male.
It was alleged that Mr Kouadria took the man's jumper and walked off.
His runners have been seized and subject to analysis, and Garda divers recovered the knife from the Liffey and it will be examined.
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CCTV evidence has been harvested, the court heard.
Detective Garda Dineen said that while Mr Kouadria was born in Ireland, he had only lived here since 2023.
Defence solicitor Kelly Breen said the case was at a very early stage, and the evidence could be subject to cross-examination in the correct forum.
In exchanges with Detective Garda Dineen, she said her client was not alleged to have been brandishing the knife in the CCTV footage.
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He replied: "No, but he holds the injured party in a headlock while the second male stabs the injured party."
The solicitor accepted that Mr Kouadria had been abroad, adding that he had been in Saudi Arabia, where his father lived.
She submitted that her client had a presumption of innocence and bail, and although the charge was very serious, strict conditions could be imposed. The court heard there were issues over his residence, and the detective said the accused used a Dublin 9 address but had been accessing homeless services at Gardiner Street.
The solicitor asked the court to consider fixing bail, subject to him offering a permanent address, obeying a curfew, surrendering travel documents, and providing a contact phone number.
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Judge Finan highlighted that the accused enjoyed the presumption of innocence. However, she held that Detective Garda Dineen made a very cogent application, and she refused to grant bail.
The accused, who did not address the court, was remanded in custody to appear again next week while gardaí seek directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions.
On Wednesday, a 31-year-old man accused of inflicting severe knife slashing wounds during the same incident was also denied bail.
Adel Attal, from Algeria but living in Ireland for two years, and with an address in State accommodation on Henry Street, Mallow, Co Cork, was charged with assault causing harm and brandishing a knife as a weapon during the incident. His application to be released revealed that the injured man suffered serious stab wounds to his stomach, back, and legs, requiring emergency surgery.
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But in those instances, their positions didn't undermine the stated values and politics of the prize. This isn't a matter of differing views, but of an institution properly and accurately representing itself. The prize has always been for the entire LGBTQ+ community, as evidenced by previously shortlisted, and winning, entries from trans writers. And so it is a contradiction to include someone who is trans-exclusionary (terf stands for trans-exclusionary radical feminist). The prize claims that it does 'not eliminate books based on the wider views of the writer'. But a prize claiming to be a celebration of LGBTQ+ inclusion should know that the condition of trans people isn't reducible to a debate in which people are simply holding 'different positions' – they are a minority group facing unprecedented levels of harassment and political antagonism. Not all of my fellow longlisted authors have chosen this path; some have, while affirming their commitment to trans rights, stated their intentions to remain. Avi Ben-Zeev (the only trans author nominated) stated his reasoning as, 'If I walk away, I'm erasing my trans story' and regretted that 'transphobia has shifted the conversation away from the celebration of LGBTQ+ literature', while emphasising the solidarity between longlisted writers regardless of their decision. I can understand such a position, but I think it undermines collective solidarity, rather than being an example of it. I think there is significant power in authors acting as a collective bloc. I was particularly moved by the example of the US writers who withdrew from the PEN America literary awards last year, in protest against the institution's lack of criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza. And to me, the real celebration of LGBTQ+ literature has come not from the prize, but from the community that has rallied behind the withdrawn authors. Our withdrawal has been followed by a 800-strong petition to remove Boyne from the longlist. That is not about him per se – he is obviously suffering great personal upset at this situation. It is, once again, about the stated aims of the organisation. We have, of course, been subjected to the usual name-calling: described as the 'Trans Taliban' and 'Queer Isis' by Julie Bindel; accused of being proponents of 'radicalised', 'totalitarian' politics by Canadian novelist Allan Stratton. Some have accused critics of bullying Boyne, and compromising freedom of speech and expression. But we have not called for his books to be pulped, and evidently he has, and continues to be, more than free to share whatever views he likes and write as many books as he wants. Boyne has since issued a statement outlining his views on trans rights and calling on the writers who have withdrawn their nominations to restore themselves to the longlist, writing that he has 'shelves full of awards at home' and that while he would not withdraw, he would ask the judges not to shortlist him. Perhaps some writers will take up this offer. But from where I stand, the response is not for Boyne to propose, as this action is not specifically about him – it is about Polari as an institution. Where does it go from here? This year's prizes are still going ahead and a 'shortlist' will still, somehow, be forged from the depleted pool of authors (PEN America, under similar circumstances, had the good sense to cancel its awards). Polari has also said it will be 'undertaking a full review of the prize processes', to avoid the 'hurt and anger' caused by this year's awards. I do wonder what that will look like. 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