Gardaí arrest two teens following assault on Alanna Quinn Idris in Ballyfermot

Gardaí have arrested two teenagers and carried out searches as part of the investigation into the brutal assault on 17-year-old Alanna Quinn Idris and her friend in Ballyfermot.

A number of items, including mobile phones, were seized as evidence. The items will now be examined in a bid to determine if they contain forensic evidence that could link the arrested suspects to the vicious attack.

Both of the men arrested on Thursday morning were detained at Garda stations in west Dublin under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984. This law allows for the individuals to be questioned for up to 24 hours without charge.

The targeted searches and arrests, which took place in the Dublin suburbs of Ballyfermot and Clondalkin, represent the first in a series of such operations by investigating gardaí.

The arrests come a week after the appalling attack that left Alanna Quinn Idris and her male friend badly beaten. The group of attackers targeted Idris close to Ballyfermot Civic Centre at around 9.30pm on Thursday last, 30 December, 2021.

The friend of Alanna Quinn Idris tried to protect her during the attack and a local man also intervened, but the gang involved nevertheless inflicted serious injuries. Alanna suffered a ruptured eyeball as well as broken bones in her cheek and eye socket, and a broken tooth.

Her friend suffered knife wounds during the attack, with both teenagers being taken to St James’s Hospital for treatment.

Alanna was then transferred to the Dublin Eye and Ear Hospital where emergency surgery was performed on her eye, though she still faces losing sight in her eye and may also need to have it removed.

According to her mother Jamie Quinn, a group of teenagers had been harassing Alanna for about five years. The attack last week is regarded by the family as an escalation in that campaign of abuse and harassment, which had been predominantly verbal up until this point. Cans of alcohol and eggs were previously thrown at her.

Following an online post by Alanna's father, a GoFundMe campaign established to help the assault victims has raised over €73,000 - including one donation of €5,000. The money will be split between Alanna and her friend.

Jamie Quinn has said that she and her family are overwhelmed by the generosity of the people who donated to the GuFundMe. She added that she had initially been unsure if the family should allow the page to be established, but had since been astounded by the level of support from the general public.

Ms Quinn also said that, given what had happened to her daughter, she would fear for the safety of her children in the future and was now considering leaving Ballyfermot, in the hope that the family might make a “fresh start” somewhere else.

“We as a family have unfortunately decided that relocating to a different area might be the best option for us. We will feel safer,” she remarked. “It breaks my heart to potentially leave our home and the area I have lived in all my life. But I will never be comfortable letting my children out to socialise in this area again and we cannot live like that.”