Man held after web threat to kill children sparks school lockdown
The man, arrested yesterday afternoon, had made graphic threats to Irish children, saying he was going to target them because Irish people had 'p*ssed me off'. Pic: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin
The video, which was circulated online earlier this week, showed a man lying on a bed addressing the camera.
He said: 'Irish, I'm coming on top of you now. I'm gonna be slicing your babies, kids and you, good for everybody. Get ready, because you p*ssed me off.' Pic: Karl M Photography/Shutterstock
The video had been flagged multiple times on several social media websites but had not been removed.
A search conducted yesterday evening revealed that the video was still easily accessible online.
Scoil Mhuire, on the Ballyroan Road in Abbeyleix, Co. Laois, closed its doors as a precaution yesterday morning when it emerged that the man may be in the area.
An official Garda spokesman said officers investigating 'alleged threats shared online have arrested one male in Abbeyleix', adding that the man was 'detained at a Garda station in the Eastern Region'.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Irish bank issue urgent warning as thousands at risk amid 150% rise in scam texts to ‘steal your money' this month
AN URGENT warning has been issued for thousands of Irish banking customers over a 'significant rise' in scam text messages. AIB, the spike in the number of customers receiving fraudulent text messages claiming to be from the bank this week. 3 Mary McHale wants bankers to be on alert over the increase in scam texts Credit: Shane O'Neill, Coalesce 3 The scam texts are designed to instil a sense of urgency to react Credit: AIB The messages have contributed to a 150 per cent increase in July compared to the amount of The scam texts can be delivered in AIB's genuine thread, but following the recent changes by Comreg, they are now predominantly coming from unregistered phone numbers. Mary McHale, Head of Financial Crime warned: "AIB is outlining a common fraud type that criminals are using to steal your money on foot of a large increase in text message scams we detected this week. "We want customers and non-customers to be alert, check the advice on our AIB security centre, and to take a moment to ask yourself, 'could this be a scam?'. READ MORE ON SCAMS "That's why you should wait a sec and double check, and never move your money to another account after receiving a call or text claiming to be us. Where customers are scammed, AIB deals sympathetically with them on a case-by-case basis. "We are continuously investing to enhance our fraud monitoring systems in response to new and existing fraud trends. "While other institutions don't offer around the clock support to keep money safe, our fraud helpline is open 24/7, seven days a week to support our customers when they need us. "We also work closely with industry stakeholders including telecommunications companies, the Banking and Payments Federation of Ireland (BPFI), and the Gardai to detect and report fraud trends, as it's only by communicating and coordinating across the whole of society that together we can be effective in combating these criminals." Most read in Money For more information on protecting yourself from fraud, customers can visit the security centre on The My mum's being scammed by an AI deepfake of 'Owen Wilson' who paid her £7 to 'prove' his identity - would you fall for it? Customers are tricked into thinking their accounts are compromised and asked to move their money to another financial institution for safekeeping. One example falsely claimed the transaction was from Foley's Plumbing Limited, a legitimate business. Foley's Plumbing has a notice on its website warning customers about the scam. The scam texts are designed to instil a sense of urgency to react, instructing people to call a provided Eventually, they'll be connected to an individual posing as a member of the fraud team, who falsely claims that the customer's AIB account has been compromised. They will be advised to transfer their HOW TO IDENTIFY AND AVOID SCAMS? Unfortunately, scam messages of any kind can be difficult to identify. It is important to be prudent by following these tips. Always be extra vigilant when you receive messages from unknown numbers, especially those that send links, ask for personal information, or require you to input any bank or card information. DO'S : Hang up immediately if a caller pressures you, claims urgent action is needed, or threatens negative consequences. If a call or text message claims to be from a bank, government agency or a company you know do not engage directly. Look up their official contact details to verify the number. Check messages for spelling errors or incorrect details. Block a number if they persistently call you or engage in suspicious behaviour. If you have friends or relatives abroad. Store their numbers in your phone (including the country prefix). If you are getting persistent scam calls from a number, contact your service provider, and request the number be blocked. DON'TS : NEVER provide any personal information, (bank details/PPS number/credit card details/name and address/passport numbers, passwords, etc.) Do not follow instructions from a recorded message. Be wary of receiving multiple calls or missed calls from the same unfamiliar number, especially if it is like your own number. Do not call back any number that you do not recognise or where no voicemail message was left. If you click on a link in a scam text, close the web page and message immediately. Do not download any unrecognised software or programs. The fraudster then provides the customer with what appears to be a 'new' account number, and customers are instructed to move their funds again to this account. Unfortunately, this so-called new account is controlled by scammers, resulting in victims losing all transferred funds. The scammers are highly skilled at tricking customers into believing they will stop fraudulent transactions from their accounts. They may even ask some questions, pretending to investigate how your account was compromised. Sometimes, they don't ask for security codes or login information to make the scam seem more legitimate. Customers are urged to remain vigilant and to verify any suspicious communications directly with the bank, the AIB's genuine contact details are listed on their official website. They are urged to never transfer money to any account after receiving a text or call purporting to be from AIB. 3 The AIB is urging customers to be aware of the scam texts Credit: Reuters
Irish Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ex-soldier who murdered girlfriend with hair straighteners in Spain learns fate
A former soldier has been jailed for just 15 years for the brutal murder of his Irish girlfriend at their Spanish holiday hotel. And Keith Byrne has been told the two years he has already spent in prison on remand and as a convicted felon following his conviction in May will qualify as time served. The sentencing decision, revealed overnight in a 121-page written ruling by the judge who presided over Byrne's trial at a court in the east coast Spanish city of Tarragona, means he could be back out on the streets in around a decade. Public prosecutors had demanded a 20 year jail sentence for the 34-year-old Irishman after a jury convicted him of strangling Kirsty to death with a hair straightener power cord at their four-star hotel in the popular Costa Daurada resort of Salou on July 2 2023 after she told him she was leaving him. And a private prosecutor for Kirsty's family said after the guilty verdict she was still seeking the 30-year sentence she argued for before and during the trial. Sentencing Judge Susana Calvo Gonzalez ruled the fact Bryne and his 36-year-old partner had been in a stable eight-month relationship made the horror crime more serious. Kirsty Ward. Hotel Magnolia in Salou, Spain. (Image: Irish Mirror) But she said the convicted killer's consumption of alcohol and drugs before he murdered Kirsty diminished his cognitive faculties and was a prevailing mitigating factor. The judge said in her lengthy ruling, rejecting arguments private prosecutor Estela Cortes put forward to justify a 30-year prison term: 'I understand that there is a prevailing basis for imposing the lower penalty and, therefore, imposing a sentence of between seven years and six months and 15 years. 'Within that range, the recognition of the aggravating circumstance and the motivation for the act…lead to the imposition of the maximum penalty, which is 15 years in prison.' Jurors found Keith Bryne guilty of murdering his south Dublin girlfriend on May 7 after three days of deliberations. The Irishman had claimed during his Tarragona trial the mum-of-one committed suicide at the four-star Magnolia Hotel. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week He described himself as a 'respectful and intelligent' father-of-three who would never commit an act of domestic violence - and demonised Kirsty as someone who could be 'four people in one day' especially after binging on alcohol and cocaine he claimed made their romance 'toxic'. Kirsty's mum Jackie Ward described Byrne as someone she 'didn't like' and 'didn't trust' on day one of the trial on April 23 and said she had found out after her daughter's death she had planned to leave him during their 'make or break' holiday. She was asked as she gave evidence whether she thought her daughter, whose son Evan was 14 when she died, could have committed suicide but replied angrily: 'She did everything for her son. She would never ever leave him. She would never do that to him.' Public prosecutor Javier Goimil, a domestic violence specialist, rubbished Byrne's court claim Kirsty took her own life during his closing speech to the jury on the final day of the murder trial. He claimed the former soldier, who had been living in Duleek, Co Meath, decided: 'You're mine or you're nobody's' and strangled his girlfriend to death because she wanted out of their stormy relationship. He said the forensic evidence pointed to Kirsty being strangled from behind between 8pm and 10pm on July 2 2023 after 'incapacitating herself' with alcohol and cocaine He told the court: 'Byrne has adapted his version of events of what happened in that timeframe nearly two years on in accordance with the evidence he's learnt there is against him. 'He's saying Kirsty tied a cable round her neck and attached it to the door knob but in the state she was in it would have been impossible for her to do that and there's nothing showing there was a knot in the cable. 'What's occurred here is a violent and painful death, a strangulation from behind where someone is pulling from the front to the back. This was not a suicide." He added: 'She didn't leave a note for her son or her siblings or her mum and what's more she had bought a plane ticket back to Dublin for July 4. 'Kirsty's relationship with Byrne was very toxic, very intense and very emotional. 'She decided to end it during the week they stayed at the hotel in Salou and her partner couldn't accept that decision. 'His mindset at that moment was: 'Or you're mine or you're nobody's. You, woman, are no-one to say you're going to detach yourself from me the man and have your own independent life. 'That was why he killed her the way he did.' He also said the amount of alcohol Kirsty had drunk before being killed would have impacted significantly on her ability to defend herself. Byrne's defence lawyer Jordi Cabre had been seeking his client's acquittal before the jury verdict and afterwards asked the judge to hand down the "minimum sentence" under Spanish law. The killer was led handcuffed from the court after learning he was a convicted criminal following nearly two years on remand in prison following his arrest, with the judge deferring sentencing as is normal in Spain. It emerged following Byrne's Spanish arrest that he was wanted in England by Royal Military Police for going AWOL after he left for Ireland in 2017. Reports in Ireland last March said Spanish prosecutors intended to interview at least two of his former partners about assisting the case by giving background information about him. One of these women previously claimed in an interview with the Irish Independent that Byrne had tried to strangle her in an incident at a property in Co Meath a number of years ago. Jackie Ward described her daughter after her death as a 'fantastic friend' to her parents and 'an absolutely adored daughter.' She told the congregation at the Church of John the Evangelist in Ballinteer, Dublin in July 2023 that she had been an amazing mum to Evan, saying: 'The two of them were an amazingly strong and tight team and I hope to continue the great work she has done. 'To me she was a fantastic friend and an absolutely adored daughter to myself and John. She was a caring sister, a cherished granddaughter and much loved niece and cousin. A loyal and true friend.' Kirsty's family said in a statement after the May 7 jury verdict: 'Our family wish to thank our private prosecutor Estela Cortes and her team for guiding, supporting and representing Kirsty, her son and our family at this very difficult and painful time; Javier Goimil the public prosecutor for his commitment and passion; the Spanish investigation teams and police for their expertise, empathy and understanding; and the jury for seeing and believing in what was the truth about our beautiful Kirsty. 'Our family now requests our privacy be respected, while we grieve and come to terms with all that has happened during the past two years.' The slain Irishwoman's loved ones have yet to react to the sentencing decision. Well-placed legal sources said after Byrne's trial finished they expected him to be jailed for around 20 years. Sign up to the Irish Mirror's Courts and Crime newsletter here and get breaking crime updates and news from the courts direct to your inbox.
Sunday World
3 hours ago
- Sunday World
Hungary bans Kneecap from entering country over ‘antisemitic hate speech'
Representatives of Kneecap did not immediately reply to requests for comment Hungarian authorities have banned Irish rap group Kneecap from entering the country to perform at the Sziget Festival, accusing the band of using antisemitic hate speech and praising the Hamas militant group, a government spokesperson said on Thursday. "Hungary's government has moved to ban Kneecap from entering the country and performing at Sziget ... citing antisemitic hate speech and open praise for Hamas and Hezbollah as justification," government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs wrote in a post on X. Kovacs later posted the official letters from immigration authorities banning the band for three years, claiming that their entry would "seriously threaten national security". In May, member Mo Chara was charged with a terrorism offence in Britain for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed Hezbollah. He denies the offence. Representatives of Kneecap did not immediately reply to requests for comment. The band has said previously that its members do not support Hamas or Hezbollah, and that it condemns "all attacks on civilians, always". Hungary's government had already asked festival organisers to drop Kneecap from the line-up at the week-long event, which draws several hundred thousand music lovers to an island in the River Danube each year. More than 150 artists and cultural figures, including Academy Award-winning director Laszlo Nemes Jeles, have also signed a petition protesting against Kneecap's participation. Sziget organisers, who said they had not been notified of the government's decision, have resisted the calls to scrap Kneecap's planned performance on August 11. "Our festival remains true to what we have consistently achieved over the past 30 years: there is no place for hatred, incitement, prejudice, or any form of racism or anti-Semitism," they said in a statement last week. Sziget's other performers this year include Post Malone, Shawn Mendes and Charli XCX.
