Gardaí Investigate Cabra TikTok Assaults

Gardaí are investigating teenage gangs who have been carrying out violent assaults in Cabra.

The gangs, which number in the dozens, have filmed their attacks and posted the footage to social media platform TikTok.

The assaults included one boy being stabbed in the head with a screwdriver, with another put into an induced coma due to head injuries.

Sinn Féin Councillor Séamas McGrattan has blamed social media for encouraging the attacks.

"I haven't got a handle on why it's happening," he said. "It seems to be random and it's being driven through social media. The problem I see with that is today's attack has to be better than yesterday's to get a better like on social media and that's just going to lead to serious injury. There are four young fellas that I know of already that have ended up in hospital, some of them very serious."

The local policing committee sent leaflets to homes in the area warning of the attacks.

There are fears that vigilante groups have formed in retaliation.

The gangs are believed to use the LUAS line to travel into Cabra. Gardaí recently intercepted dozens of teenagers at the Broombridge stop. In January gardaí found teenagers armed with baseball bats and pitchforks.

"There are three Garda Districts/two Garda Divisions covering the Cabra Area," a garda spokesperson said. "Gardaí in Cabra are aware of a number of public order incidents which are subsequently being posted on various social media platforms. Gardaí are investigating these incidents in collaboration with other Garda districts within this catchment area. Cabra Gardaí, together with all the other relevant agencies, will continue to proactively engage with Cabra Youth to reduce such incidents occurring."