A TEENAGER arrested over the murder of two men in Dublin was due to be charged or released by midnight last night.
The 16 year old is one of the prime suspects in the screwdriver attack on Saturday, which claimed the lives of two Polish immigrants, stabbed in the head and neck.
The Garda investigation was upgraded to a double-murder inquiry after the second victim, Pawel Kalite, lost his fight for life in the early hours of yesterday morning.
The 29 year old had been in a critical condition in St James's Hospital since being stabbed in the attack on Benbulbin Road just before 7pm on Saturday. The other victim, Marius Szwajkos, died in St James's Hospital on Monday.
The men were living with three other Polish nationals in a house on Benbulbin Road, about 50m (165ft) from the crime scene.
They had been living and working in Ireland since last summer.
They went to buy food on Saturday evening and became involved in a verbal altercation with a group of teenagers outside a row of shops after they refused to buy alcohol for them.
One of the teenagers left the scene and came back with a screwdriver. Mr Szwajkos was stabbed in the head while Mr Kalite was stabbed in the neck. Their female housemate ran to their aid as they lay bleeding on the pavement.
Gardaí believe a large group of teenage boys and girls, some as young as 13, were at the scene.
Detectives are working on the theory that three male teenagers, aged 19, 16 and 15 were directly involved in the confrontation.
The 19 year old was arrested at an address in Inchicore on Monday. The 15 year old presented himself to gardaí on Tuesday and was arrested.
Both were released without charge after lengthy periods of questioning. Files on their alleged role in the killings are being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The 16 year old presented himself to gardaí on Wednesday at 4pm. He was questioned until midnight. The questioning was then suspended for eight hours until 8am yesterday.
His 24-hour period of questioning was due to expire at midnight last night, when he was to be charged or released.
Gardaí in Crumlin began searching for the three teenagers after interviewing a number of people who were at the scene of Saturday's attack. The murder weapon has still not been found.
When The Irish Times called to the house yesterday on Benbulbin Road where the men were staying with their friends, there was no response.
A spokeswoman for the Polish embassy in Dublin said it would assist the families of both men.
However, the embassy did not have a specific fund for the repatriation of the remains of Polish nationals from Ireland. The spokeswoman said the family of Mr Szwajkos had already returned to Poland after making preliminary arrangements to repatriate his remains. The dead man's family left Ireland on Tuesday, the day after he died.
The family of Mr Kalite had also travelled to Ireland and were here when he was pronounced dead early yesterday. The embassy had made unsuccessful efforts to contact them yesterday.
However, the embassy spokeswoman said that when Mr Kalite's remains were released by the coroner's office, the family would be assisted with the practical arrangements around repatriation.
Alan Kennedy, the general manager of the Axa crash repair centre on the Long Mile Road, Dublin 22, where the victims worked, has set up a bank account into which donations for their families can be lodged.
The account has been set up at the AIB in the Irish Farm Centre on Dublin's Naas Road.