A 23-year-old man is due to appear in court later today on a murder charge following the death early yesterday of a Belgian, who was staying at a hostel in Ennis, Co Clare.
The man, who is from Ennis, was arrested yesterday and detained for questioning. He is due before a special sitting of Kilkee District Court.
Gardai have confirmed a post mortem carried out last night by the Assistant State Pathologist, Dr Marie Cassidy, at Ennis General Hospital on the 42-year-old Belgian man indicated he died as a consequence of a severe kicking, but he also had head injuries believed to have been caused by a blunt instrument.
A search for a fire extinguisher, which may also have been used in the killing, was continuing.
The victim, who had not been named because of difficulty in contacting his relatives, is expected to be identified at the court hearing.
I were last night following "a definite line of inquiry" into the death of a Belgian national who diedin Ennis, Co Clare in the early hours of Monday morning. He died as a result of sustaining from serious head injuries.
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The local man was arrested under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act at 8 a.m. yesterday in the Drumbiggle area of the town.
According to gardai, the Belgian was attacked following a row in the hallway of the Abbey Tourist Hostel in Ennis, where he was staying, at 1 a.m. yesterday. He was dead on arrival at Ennis General Hospital a short time later.
Divers from the Garda subaqua unit were last night searching a section of the River Fergus, directly adjacent to the hostel, for a possible weapon.
Chief Supt Gerry Kelly of Ennis Garda Station, who is leading the investigation, said that gardai have taken statements from almost all the guests who stayed at the hostel on Sunday night, and are checking the information received.
He confirmed that the man being questioned was not among the guests staying at the hostel on Sunday.
Chief Supt Kelly stated that a motive for the fatal attack has not yet been established.
Despite receiving the assistance of Interpol and the Belgian embassy, gardai are having difficulty in formally identifying the man.
He said an Interpol check yesterday afternoon on an address obtained from the victim's Belgian driving licence revealed that no one of that name had resided at the Antwerp address given.
Gardai believe the man has a family in Belgium and lived in the Ennis area for the past two months, where he worked as a tiler.
