Four men, three women and three youngsters, aged between five and 59, died in the blast on the afternoon of Friday, October 7, 2022, in the village of Creeslough in Donegal.

The man was arrested shortly before 10 am this morning for alleged offenses contrary to the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997.

The man presented himself at Dundalk Garda Station this morning, according to reports on RTÉ.

Gardaí told Extra.ie in a statement: "The investigation into the fatal explosion at a building complex in Creeslough, County Donegal is ongoing, co-ordinated from Milford Garda Station where an Incident Room is established under the direction of a Garda Senior Investigating Officer.

"The investigation continues to be led by local Gardaí in Donegal Division, supported by the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI) and other agencies including the Health & Safety Authority (HSA) and the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU).

Aftermath of the Creeslough explosion.

Aftermath of the Creeslough explosion.

"This morning, Thursday 20th November 2024, investigating Gardaí arrested a male, aged in his 60s, for alleged offenses contrary to the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997. 

"This male is currently detained under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at a Garda station in the Garda North Western Region."

Robert Garwe and his five-year-old daughter Shauna Flanagan-Garwe, Catherine O’Donnell and her 13-hear-old son James Monaghan, fashion student Jessica Gallagher, Celtic fan Martin McGill, Sydney native James O’Flaherty, shop worker Martina Martin, carpenter Hugh “Hughie” Kelly and 14-year-old Leona Harper were all killed in the explosion.

In September Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said that the investigation into the explosion was nearly finished. Families of some of the victims had criticized the length of time the investigation was taking as well as calling for a public inquiry.

* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.