French president Emmanuel Macron has congratulated a teenager who disarmed the attacker during the knife attack in Parnell Square in Dublin.
Alan Loren-Guille (17) was on his way to work in Spitalfields restaurant in the Coombe on Thursday when he came across the scene where a man had stabbed three children and two adults outside a school.
He knocked the knife out of his hand and Brazilian Deliveroo rider Caio Benicio then hit the assailant over the head with his motorcycle helmet.
Mr Loren-Guille is a final year student at the catering school, the Lycée des Métiers de Bazeilles near his home in the Ardennes.
According to the Le Figaro newspaper, Mr Macron called him to “congratulate him and thank him for this act of bravery which helped save lives and which makes us all proud.”
A spokesman for the president added: “We salute the courage of our compatriot, who helped put an end to the attack perpetrated by an assailant in Dublin yesterday.
“We also send our thoughts to the victims of this attack and their families. We stand with Ireland and the Irish people.”
Spitalfields restaurant posted its own tribute to Mr Loren-Guille on its Instagram page.
The post stated: “This is our own 17 year old super hero Alan Loren-Guille who was one of the brave hero’s that managed to disarm the school children attacker yesterday in Dublin on his way to work.
“He is one of our brilliant French stagiaires in the kitchen @spitalfields_dublin. He noticed something happening as he passed by and selflessly jumped in to stop the attacker and managed to wrestle the knife off him.
“He was fairly unscathed but for a couple a cuts to his hand and face. Without this act of bravery who knows what else might have happened. Our prayers are with the poor children, families and teachers who were affected by this tragedy. Please lookout for one and other. Not all superheroes wear capes. 🕊️”
