A man has been arrested and was due to appear before the courts on Monday in connection with a social media post containing false claims about an international protection applicant (IPA). It was the second arrest in the case.
When the first arrest was made last year as part of the investigation, it was believed to be the first time An Garda Síochána had detained a person over false social media posts which did not include threats of violence.
The man, who is in his 4Os and has a large social media presence, was due before Bray District Court on Monday following his arrest hours earlier.
The first arrest made, in October last year, was under legislation enacted almost 40 years ago.
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A suspect was questioned at that time on suspicion he committed an offence contrary to Section 12(a) of the Criminal Law Act, 1976.
Under that provision, anyone who “knowingly makes a false report or statement” suggesting “an offence has been committed” and which gives rise to “apprehension for the safety of persons or property” has committed an offence.
On conviction, that offence carries a sanction of imprisonment up to five years if tried on indictment.
The social media content at the centre of the criminal investigation was created and shared in June 2024. It included a photograph of a man asleep on a bus travelling to Newtownmountkennedy, Co Wicklow.
The post claimed the man was a migrant and had exposed himself to women and girls on the bus journey before falling asleep.
It was claimed the man depicted in the photograph was an IPA living in Trudder House on the outskirts of the town.
Weeks earlier there were violent clashes outside Trudder House between gardaí and anti-immigration protesters who were trying to block its use as a centre for IPAs.
The atmosphere in the area remained highly charged for months, even after IPAs were moved into the centre. The false social media post was apparently written during that period of heightened tensions.
An investigation into the post started shortly after it was shared, resulting in a search and arrest operation in October 2024. Electronic devices, including phones, were seized for analysis as part of the investigation.
Gardaí have since completed their investigation and sent a file on the case to the Director of Public Prosecutions, whose office has directed a suspect face a criminal charge, resulting in the arrest on Monday.
