A man has been arrested in the Canary Islands in connection with the death of a Dublin student on Gran Canaria three years ago.
Daniel O'Callaghan (24) from Rathmines, Dublin was attacked during a holiday in April 2003.
He was set upon, beaten and robbed as he walked the short distance to his apartment from an Irish bar in the Playa del Ingles resort. He suffered massive brain injuries and lay severely brain-damaged in a coma for two weeks before dying.
Spanish police have arrested a 30-year-old man, originally from Algeria, who is believed to have lived near the resort for several years. He will be brought before a judge within 72 hours to be questioned, but his name will not be released unless he stands trial.
A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin told The Irish Times last night that consular officials in the Canaries had been made aware of the arrest. "We were kept aware of the situation by the Spanish authorities and we have been in touch with the family," he said.
Mr O'Callaghan had travelled with three friends to Gran Canaria and he had only been on the island for a few hours when the attack occurred.
His parents were at his bedside in the island's capital, Las Palmas, when he died. They have campaigned to have the case solved.