Teen charged with murder of Japanese man in Dundalk

Mohammed Morei being escorted into the courthouse

An 18-year-old man has appeared in court in Dundalk charged with the murder of a Japanese man in the town yesterday.

Mohammed Morei was accused of murdering 24-year-old Yosuke Sasaki in Dundalk.

He was remanded in custody to Cloverhill District Court next Thursday 11 January.

The prosecuting garda, Inspector Martin Beggy, said there was an issue with the accused’s nationality, which is undetermined at present.

Gardaí have said they have found no established link to indicate the attacks, in which the Japanese national was fatally stabbed and two other people were wounded, were terror-related.

They say the threat level from international terrorism remains unchanged at moderate, where an attack is possible but not likely.

The individual had come into contact with gardaí in Dundalk on New Year’s Day when inquiries about his immigration status were conducted.

It is believed he had applied for asylum in Ireland.

The series of attacks began when a 24-year-old Japanese man, who had been living in Ireland for the last year, was fatally stabbed on Avenue Road shortly before 9am.

He has been named as Yosuke Sasaki and is understood to have come from Ebina, west of Tokyo.

He worked at National Pen, a call centre in Dundalk, and it is believed he was targeted randomly as he made his way to the office.

Officials in the Japanese embassy in Dublin have been liaising with the dead man's family and have appealed for privacy.

An Irish man was injured when he was stabbed a short time later on nearby Coes Road.

At 9.40am, gardaí received a report that another local man was injured in an attack with a fence pole at Seatown Place.

In a statement this evening, National Pen said Mr Sasaki joined the company last August and was a valued member of staff who made a "positive impact" on the company.

CEO Peter Kelly said: "This is a time of profound sadness for management and staff. National Pen prides itself on taking the utmost care of its work colleagues. We will do everything possible to assist the family at this tragic time."

The company said an employee assistance programme is being made available to its employees and their families and both management and Mr Sasaki's colleagues extended their sincere condolences to his family.