Man arrested on suspicion of murder following fatal assault of girl, 8, in Co Wexford

A man has been arrested following Sunday's fatal assault of a girl, eight-year-old Malika Noor Al Katib, in New Ross, Co Wexford on Sunday, December 1.

The male, aged in his 30s has been released from hospital and arrested on suspicion of murder, Gardaí said in an update on Tuesday.

He is currently detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 at a Garda Station in the Eastern Region.

Gardaí and emergency services attended a domestic residence in New Ross on Sunday at approximately 11:45 pm. According to the Irish Times, the location is a private residence in Lower William Street, an area known locally as Jones’s Hill.

Gardaí said on Monday that Malika was taken to University Hospital Waterford for treatment. She passed away from her injuries in the early hours of Monday.

A woman and a man, both in their 30s, also received treatment at University Hospital Wexford. Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, Gardaí said on Monday.

It has been reported that the Malika, as well as the woman and man, all suffered stab wounds.

A post-mortem examination was conducted by State Pathologist Dr. Sally Anne Collis yesterday, December 2. The results will not be released for operational reasons, Gardaí said on Tuesday.

Gardaí said in their update on Tuesday that they are continuing to investigate all of the circumstances surrounding the death of eight-year-old Malika.

Investigating Gardaí are appealing to anyone who may have any information on this fatal assault to come forward. Anyone with information is asked to contact New Ross Garda Station at 051 426 030, the Garda Confidential Line at (1800) 666 111, or any Garda Station.

On Monday, Therese White, Principal of New Ross Educate Together National School where Malika was a student, described the incident as a "terrible tragedy," while local Councillor Michael Sheehan said the "community is numb. Nobody knows what to say, nobody knows what to do."

Malika was a part of the Islamic community in Wexford and Waterford, RTÉ News reported on Tuesday.

According to The Irish Times, Malika's mother is an Irish woman who converted to Islam, while her father is originally from the Middle East and is a long-term resident in Europe.

RTÉ News reports that the main suspect is a UK resident who has residency status there for many years and is not an asylum seeker.

The Irish Times notes: "Amid misinformation about the killing, including content spread by far-right agitators on social media, Garda sources said nobody who was applying for international protection in the Republic, or had ever applied, was linked to the case. They added there was also no racial component to the incident."

Imam Rashid Munir, the imam at the Waterford Al-Munir Islamic Centre, told RTÉ News at One on Tuesday that he knew Malika personally.

"It is a really heartbreaking thing for our community," he said.

He described Malika as a "lovely child, a beautiful girl, full of life, full of energy." 

He added: "She was very smiley. She [had] a lot of interest in learning about Islam and learning about the religion. She was very good and steady. She wanted to be a good part of society. She always wanted to do something extraordinary but this thing happened."

He said that since the broke of the fatal assault, "we are all very heartbroken."

The imam said he has spoken to Malika's mother: "She's wounded, she's injured, she's not in good shape at the moment," he said, adding that the mother's injuries are not life-threatening.

"She witnessed her child being murdered right in front of her eyes," he continued. "It's not easy to bear with that."

He went on to say that they hoped to have a funeral for Malika as soon as possible, as per Muslim tradition.