Man is arrested outside courts

A MAN was arrested outside the Four Courts building in Dublin yesterday morning after an incident in which a prisoner charged…

A MAN was arrested outside the Four Courts building in Dublin yesterday morning after an incident in which a prisoner charged with murder was, attacked as he was being taken into court.

Mr Frederick Flannery (35), of no fixed abode, was being taken into the building at 10.45 a.m. He has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Denis Patrick O'Driscoll (33), in Cork, on a date unknown between December 15th and 31st, 1994.

There was a number of people around the entrance to the building when Mr Flannery arrived under prison officer escort.

Witnesses saw one man lunging at the prisoner. He appeared to have a weapon or implement in his hand. The prisoner was not harmed.

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After the attack the man ran to the River Liffey and threw the weapon or implement into the river.

He was arrested by gardai and taken to the Bridewell Garda station, where he was held under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.

He was released at 4p.m. and the Garda said a file would be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

A Garda sub aqua team later searched the river but Garda Headquarters was unable to say yesterday evening whether anything had been recovered.