When gardaí were showing Riad Bouchaker CCTV footage of his movements leading up to the moment he is alleged to have attempted to murder three children in Dublin city centre, he said that if the Department of Social Welfare had helped him, “this wouldn’t have happened.”
Bouchaker told gardaí that he is an Irish national and that the department’s decision to refuse him social welfare “made me go into blackout,” reports Breaking News.
He said it felt like “this country is telling me to leave,” said he was not in his right mind at the time and was in need of help.
He mentioned on a number of occasions that he was refused a disability allowance and in his fourth interview, when gardaí were showing him CCTV of his own movements on the day, he said: “I have an injury in my head, I have a shoulder injury. I can’t work. I did not counterfeit anything to get the disability allowance. If they only helped me, this wouldn’t have happened,” reports Breaking News.
He also told gardaí that he had never done anything similar before and, mentioning a girl, said he was “ready for whatever the family wants.”
He later said: “I was told the girl was saved and I am happy that she is saved,” reports Breaking News.
Bouchaker also told gardaí that one hour before the alleged attack, he went to a mosque on Talbot Street to leave a bag containing his belongings and his Algerian and Irish passports.
He said he had never prayed at that mosque but identified himself entering the building and speaking to a man at around 12.30, saying he told the man to keep his passports as he would be back for them but to donate the rest of the contents or “do whatever you want with it,” reports Breaking News.
He told gardaí not to “go thinking I was into something ill, I just went and met him and told him to take the suitcase,” adding that when he left the suitcase he was not thinking of going to hurt people.
The trial jury has been viewing DVDs of the 52-year-old’s garda interviews from 20 December 2023 at Mountjoy Garda Station, where he had been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, reports Breaking News.
In his second interview, Garda Conor Mackey asked Mr Bouchaker why his anger at the social welfare refusal made him “do that.”
Bouchaker replied: “I don’t know why I did that. My mind feels like there is no brain in my head. It feels squeezed, smashed. Do whatever you want to me guys,” reports Breaking News.
He said he thanked God all the children are alive, adding: “They did nothing to deserve what happened to them but it wasn’t me in my right mind.”
When Garda Mackey asked Bouchaker “why children?” he replied: “I know the parents got hurt most by this incident in which the children were hurt, but I would never do that in my conscious mind,” reports Breaking News.
Bouchaker said he knew he did something wrong, adding: “I was upset because of the negative decision from social welfare but I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”
He said he “did not mean to do what happened” and did not have “any conscience to go and hurt anybody,” saying he is sick and that his doctor has told him he is sick, reports Breaking News.
Garda Mackey showed Bouchaker a knife that was found at the scene, and the accused confirmed it was the same knife he had taken from his accommodation on the day of the alleged stabbing.
The trial previously heard that one of the girls injured in the alleged attack suffered severe brain damage due to blood loss having been stabbed in the heart, reports Breaking News.
Detective Garda Kevin Bambrick told prosecution counsel that he and Detective Garda Gary Moran conducted Mr Bouchaker’s fourth interview at Mountjoy Garda Station.
Detective Garda Moran told Bouchaker that gardaí believe he attempted to murder people on Parnell Square East, reports Breaking News.
Bouchaker replied: “I was upset because of the social welfare. I was not in my right state of mind. I was not aware of what I was doing, I did not mean to do what I did and, most importantly, the kids are fine.”
He said he had applied for a disability allowance and had been waiting for one year and three months, saying it “really upset me” and adding: “If only I could work, I would not seek to get this payment. I am sick, that’s why I applied for the disability allowance,” reports Breaking News.
On the day of the alleged attack, he said he met his brother who read and explained the letter to him, after which he tore it and “went straight away to get the knife.”
The knife, he said, was brand new and “well packaged,” adding that he wanted to take it with him to Algeria as he “just liked it,” reports Breaking News.
After tearing up the letter, he said he went to his accommodation on Little Britain Street and left again a short time later with the knife.
He added: “I felt my mind compressed, I don’t know what happened. I prayed to God that things would not get any worse,” reports Breaking News.
Garda Moran showed Bouchaker a letter from the Department of Social Protection dated 15 November 2023 — eight days prior to the incident on Parnell Square.
The detective said the letter informed Bouchaker that he needed to submit more documentation for his application for a basic supplementary welfare allowance, stating that failure to supply the documents by 22 November that year would result in his claim being closed or disallowed, reports Breaking News.
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