Gardai identify 29 people from gallery of 99 'persons of interest' in Dublin riots probe

Gardai have now removed 29 images from the list of people they want to identify as part of their probe into last year’s Dublin riots.

The force issued a list of 99 images in a special appeal on Tuesday morning – but it has now been cut to 70 after they were identified.

Officers said 11 of the images were removed from the collection – which is available to examine at www.garda.ie – on Thursday morning. Five were removed within hours of the images being released to the public on Tuesday morning – and another 13 on Wednesday.

But gardai are still asking for the public’s help in identifying the 70 remaining people – whom they classify as persons of interest.

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And gardai under the command of Chief Superintendent Patrick McMenamin again stressed that the people in the images could be either ruled in or out of the investigation into the large-scale disturbances that rocked north inner city Dublin on November 23 – a year ago on Saturday.

The force made the unprecedented decision to release the images in the hope that members of the public would come forward and identify them.

And they also said that they wanted anyone who recognised themselves in the images - released by gardai at Store Street Station which is the HQ for the probe into the riots – to come forward as well.

The force said in a statement on Thursday: “An Garda Síochána is continuing the process of validating nominations for all 29 ‘persons of interest’ whose images have now been removed from the public gallery and progressing these investigations. An Garda Síochána is not confirming at this time the role of any of these individuals in the events of the 23rd November 2023 and it should not be presumed that a nomination/ identification means criminal involvement in these events.”

The force also again appealed for help from the public in the investigation – which has a team of 50 officers involved.

The force said: ”An Garda Síochána continues to request the assistance from members of the public who can provide information/ nominate identification for any of the remaining 70 ‘persons of interest’ through the Garda website.

“Members of the public can do so confidentially if they so wish.

“An Garda Síochána would encourage any person who identifies themselves as a ‘person of interest’ from the published images to make immediate contact with the Garda investigation team at Store Street Garda Station.”

The investigation team at Store Street Garda Station can be contacted by telephone at 01-6668000 or by email at store.street.public@garda.ie. Any member of the public can also provide confidential information to the Garda Investigation team by contacting the Garda Confidential Phone number 1800 666 111.

Some 57 people have already been arrested over the probe and 53 have been charged – with 14 being convicted at the district court and one at the higher, circuit court.

But the probe is ongoing and gardai hope the release of the remaining 70 images will progress it. Over the duration of the widespread public disorder in the city centre, some 28 vehicles were attacked or set on fire. A Luas tram was destroyed by fire, as were three Dublin Buses. Another six were damaged, and 15 Garda cars were also targeted.

Two Dublin Fire Brigade vehicles were also attacked, along with a private car. And 66 businesses were also attacked.

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