A street performer was stabbed last night in Dublin's Temple Bar Square. Gardaí, who were nearby at the time, said yesterday the man's condition was not life-threatening and that he was being treated at St James's Hospital.
Eyewitnesses to the incident at about 7.30pm saw a small man suddenly run from the crowd and grapple a man to the ground before stabbing him.
"A guy just ran out of the crowd and attacked a big coloured guy. He tackled him to the ground, punched him a couple of times and then they knocked a couple of tables over in a cafe beside them. That's when I noticed a knife, a big knife," said Paul Wood, a tourist from the UK.
Eyewitnesses said the injured man was one of two who regularly busked together at that spot.
"After he was stabbed, the guy ran back out into the square with blood all over his T-shirt. Then he just lay on the ground and a crowd gathered around him. I thought it was part of the act until I saw the knife," Mr Wood said.
A garda at the scene said they had been walking past Temple Bar Square and heard the commotion. A member of the public had begun to apprehend the man with the knife just before they arrived. A man in his 30s was arrested at the scene and was last night being questioned at Pearce Street Garda station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, the Garda press office said. The man can be held for up to 12 hours.
A large crowd had gathered to watch the performance.
"There was music as well as the show. Everyone was just standing around listening and watching the two of them. It was a really nice atmosphere. They had kids up with them too and were making them part of the show," said Pam Naughton-Doe, also a tourist from the UK.