A man of Middle Eastern origin was arrested in Ireland on Thursday morning in relation to the killings of gay men possibly inspired by, it is alleged, “religious zeal”.
An armed response police unit in Ireland has reportedly arrested a man originally from the Middle East who is suspected of killing multiple gay men.
The arrest follows the deaths of two gay men in Co. Sligo, one of whom was active in his local constituency branch of the ruling Fine Gael party.
According to a report by The Times, the suspect was arrested at 1.30 am Thursday morning local time under section 4 of Ireland’s Criminal Justice Act 1984 after being identified on CCTV footage taken near the home of one of the deceased.
Officers from Ireland’s An Garda Síochána police force believe that whoever killed the two men first befriended them on the gay dating app Grindr, on which the suspect is said to have also contacted the men.
Upon meeting the men in real life under the pretext of a sexual encounter, police reportedly believe that the person responsible for the death either overpowered his victims, or convinced them to allow themselves to be tied up before torturing and killing them.
The publication also reports that the suspect may have been working through a list of men who he had befriended on the Grindr app, with police considering whether there may be a homophobic hate element to the killings, which The Times describes as being “possibly inspired by religious zeal”.
A third man in Sligo is said to have also been attacked after agreeing to a meetup on Grindr, with police encouraging other gay men in the area who may have had similar experiences to come forward.
“Meeting people online should be a safe activity, but as with any online activity everybody should be aware of personal safety advice, which we have provided on the Garda website,” said Chief Superintendent Aidan Glacken regarding the incident.
“I am appealing to any person who may have been the subject of any unwanted approaches or who was assaulted or otherwise attacked to contact the incident room at Sligo Garda Station,” he continued. “I have a dedicated diversity team here, we need to hear from you, we are here to listen to you and we are here to support you.”
The Garda also emphasised that whatever information was handed over by those who come forward would be treated in strict confidence.
At the time of writing, a man reportedly by the name of Yousef Palani, 22, has been charged for the murder of both men, though it is unclear whether or not it is the same man listed in The Times article.
This story is still developing
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