Riad Bouchaker pleads not guilty in Dublin trial

The trial of a man accused of attempting to murder three children outside a Dublin school in 2023 entered its second day on Thursday, June 11, 2026. Riad Bouchaker, a 52-year-old Algerian national of no fixed address, has pleaded not guilty to eight charges related to the incident on Parnell Square East on November 23, 2023.

The charges include the attempted murder of two girls and one boy, assault causing serious harm to a care worker, three additional counts of assault causing harm to two other children and a French passerby, and one count of producing a 36-centimeter kitchen knife. Bouchaker entered his pleas through an interpreter on Monday, June 8, before a jury of nine men and three women was sworn in at the Central Criminal Court. The trial is expected to last up to five weeks.

Opening the prosecution's case on Wednesday, Senior Counsel Karl Finnegan outlined the allegations to the jury. He stated that the attack occurred as young children were leaving Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire and being taken to an afterschool facility. The prosecution alleges Bouchaker approached the group, produced a knife, and began stabbing or attempting to stab the children.