Teenager arrested over fatal Tallaght stabbing

Gardaí have arrested a teenager in relation to Thursday's fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Reece Cullen in the Jobstown area of Tallaght in Dublin.

Gardaí said the male juvenile was arrested in the Tallaght area on Friday after 7am.

He is currently detained at Tallaght Garda station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 which allows him to be held for up to 24 hours.

Reece Cullen had received death threats in recent months, an informed local source told The Irish Times.

Drug Treatment Court: Life-saving option for drugs offenders

---

Almost 8,000 multiple-ban drivers still behind wheel - RSA

---

Teenage boy (17) dies after Tallaght stabbing attack

---

Car crash culture: How driving bans are simply ignored

---

He was fatally stabbed at Kilclare Crescent, Jobstown at about 3 pm Thursday.

Speaking on Friday morning, the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin said young people need to be helped to deal with anger management as a means of tackling a culture of violence.

"You don't have to go into a gun shop to buy a knife. You can go into a hardware store or a kitchen. There is no control over who buys a knife," he told RTÉ's Morning Ireland.

He added that in the past if there was conflict a person ended up with a bleeding nose but now people were being killed.

“The issue is one of anger management. How do we help young people cope with anger and frustration?

“They are not able to cope with frustration and there is nothing in their communities. There is a need for leaders in communities.”

Archbishop Martin said that to kill a person with a knife required a huge amount of physical force.

He said the issue of knife violence “is not one of those things to which there is a magic answer.

“What is on offer to these young people? In the told days there were youth clubs, there are none now.

“We have to reach out to those in more vulnerable positions.”

Veteran Fianna Fáil councillor in the Tallaght area Cllr Charlie O’Connor said local people were deeply upset and shocked by the stabbing.

“We should be making the point that carrying a knife, for whatever intention, is wrong,” he said.

Reece Cullen’s mother had only died in September, and she was survived by her three sons.

The teenager was enrolled in an alternative education programme for children who had left the mainstream school system .

He sustained fatal stab wounds in the attack which happened in Kilclare Crescent at about 3.30pm on Thursday. He was later taken to Tallaght Hospital but was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.

The incident occurred in a cul-de-sac situated immediately across the road from a busy public park. The scene was sealed off on Thursday evening as gardaí carried out a technical examination.

Although gardaí have not yet discussed a motive for the killing, a source said it was well-known that threats had been made to the victim’s life in the months leading up to the attack. However it has not been established if these threats had any connection with his death.

Friends on social media paid tribute to the boy describing him as “such a nice person”

Anyone witnesses who may have been in the Kilclare area between 2.45pm and 3.30pm on Thursday have been asked to contact Tallaght Garda Station on 01 666 6000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666111 or any Garda station.