One of the suspects in the London attack who was shot dead by police on Saturday was carrying an Irish identity card, the Press Association reported on Monday, June 5.
Also on Grasswire: Police identify London Bridge attackers
#Breaking One of the London Bridge terrorists was carrying an ID card issued in Ireland when he was shot, security sources in Dublin say.
— Press Association (@PA) June 5, 2017
The Irish Times reported that the card was purportedly issued by Irish police. These ID cards, issued to vetted foreign nationals by the Garda National Immigration Bureau, include the holder’s name and date of birth, and are proof that the holder has legal residency in Ireland.
Gardaí and British police are working to establish beyond doubt that the dead man is the same person featured on the card found and that the card is genuine.
Gardaí are inquiring into whether the man obtained the ID after landing in Ireland to claim asylum or if the card was issued under EU treaties, The Irish Examiner reported.
The man, who was of Moroccan origin, spent time living in the Rathmines area of Dublin in 2016, The Journal reported, and The Irish Times reported that he may have been in Ireland in 2015.
According to The Irish Examiner he may have been married to a Scottish woman.
Update
The Guardian reported that the man carrying the Irish ID card was Rachid Redouane, one of two people identified by the Met police as involved in the London Bridge attack. Redouane also used the name Rachid Elkhdar and claimed to be Moroccan and Libyan.
Citing unnamed Irish police sources, The Guardian reported that Redouane was a pastry chef who is believed to have settled in Dublin around five years ago. He and may have been there as recently as three months ago.
Charisse O’Leary, the mother of Redouane’s 18-month-old daughter, was reportedly arrested at a temporary accommodation centre in Barking. They married in Ireland in 2012 but she didn’t convert to Islam and the couple recently separated.
Taoiseach: London attacker with Irish link was not among a small group of people in Ireland being monitored for radicalisation. @rtenews
— Caitriona Perry (@CaitrionaPerry) June 5, 2017
Senior Irish security and intelligence officials are meeting on Monday to discuss the London attacks.
Ireland’s Department of Justice said: “The expert threat assessment is that while an attack here is possible it is unlikely and that there is no specific information in relation to any threat to Ireland from international terrorism.”
In a June 4 statement, London Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said: “I would like to assure them and the public that this is directly assisting the progression of the investigation and confirm we will release the identities of the three men directly responsible for the attacks yesterday, Saturday, 3 June, as soon as operationally possible.”
London Bridge attack: 7 people dead, 48 injured, 3 suspects shot dead by police