Online news site Gript is being sued by a man it falsely accused of being the suspect in a stabbing attack on schoolchildren in Dublin city centre last year.
Three young children and a carer were stabbed outside Coláiste Mhuire, Parnell Square, on the afternoon of November 23rd. A man was disarmed by passersby and detained at the scene. He is currently before the courts.
The incident sparked a far-right gathering in the city in the hours after the attack, followed by riots, arson attacks, clashes with gardaí and looting of shops.
Shortly afterwards, Gript’s editor John McGuirk published a lengthy article referring to court records and purporting to outline a detailed history of the suspect’s dealings with the State in relation to asylum.
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The article did not name the person. After the article was published, a number of people on social media went on to publish what they said was the man’s name.
That evening the Garda Press Office, which did not name Gript in its statement, said the article published on Wednesday was “highly inaccurate”. The website removed it a short time later.
The man who was falsely accused, Abdelhafid Bensaada, was granted Garda protection for a period and received security advice. Mr Bensaada had no involvement whatsoever in the attack.
On Thursday, lawyers for Mr Bensaada lodged papers with the High Court, signalling an intent to sue Gript and Mr McGuirk.
Mr Bensaada, an Algerian national, is represented by Regan McEntee & Partners.
In its statement after the publication of the article, the Garda said: “The individual referenced in the article is not a person of interest in the investigation into the knife attack of last Thursday.
“An Garda Síochána has contacted the online news outlet and the outlet has agreed to remove the article.
“An Garda Síochána is aware of some social media posts resulting from the article that purport to identify the individual and has put in place measures to ensure the safety of the individual.”
Gript did not contact the Garda Press Office before publishing the article, the Garda said.
The article was replaced by a statement in which Gript claimed its report “was sourced from a member of an Garda Síochána” and that it is investigating whether it was “deliberately deceived”.
Gript claimed the information it received was “cross-checked against publicly available records, and while the name of the suspect was not reported, that name was put to a senior official on the basis of an informal ‘cross-check’ before publication”.
Both Gript and Mr Bensaada’s solicitors declined to comment on Friday.
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