Irish police arrest 2nd man linked with London attacker

The Irish police have arrested a second man who had connection with Rachid Redouane, one of the three London attackers who killed seven and injured dozens on the London Bridge on Saturday evening.

The man in his 30s was arrested on Tuesday evening from Wexford city following a search of an apartment there, the police said.

Earlier on Tuesday, another man, originally from Morocco, was arrested in Limerick city, but he was released by afternoon, Xinhua news agency reported.

Both men were still being probed for theft and fraud. They were suspected of using documents and personal, public service numbers that might have links to the London attacker Redouane.

Redouane, 30, is of Moroccan and Libyan descent. He was identified after a documentation check in Britain found he had lived in south Dublin for some time.

An identity card, issued by Irish immigration authorities, was found after he was shot dead. He married a British woman in Ireland in 2011 before moving back to Britain, according to Ireland's national broadcaster RTE.

Under the European Union treaties, Ireland grants working visas to people outside the EU who are in a relationship with an EU citizen, which appears to have been the case in this instance.

The couple returned to Ireland for a short time in 2016 before separating.

Redouane was not previously known to police and had not come to their attention in relation to any crime or security issues, according to the Irish police.

Ireland has condemned the London attacks, describing the assaults as "sheer madness", and said they would continue to work closely with Britain on security matters and prevention of crime as far as possible.

Currently, the threat assessment level in Ireland is moderate, meaning an attack is possible but unlikely.

--IANS

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