Praise for French student who wrestled knife from attacker in Dublin

A French student on an Erasmus stay in Dublin intervened on Thursday (November 23) during a knife attack that left five people injured.

Alan Loren-Guille, a 17-year-old, from the Lycée des Métiers de Bazeilles (Ardennes), intervened with another passer-by to try to stop the attack which occurred near the building where he lives.

He managed to get hold of the assailant’s weapon and disarm him.

On Friday, Alan received a call from President Emmanuel Macron "to congratulate him and thank him for this act of bravery which has contributed to saving lives and makes us all proud," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

French police commissioner Matthieu Valet is now calling for the teenager to get an award for his brave actions.

“I hope that he will be awarded la légion d’honneur by the President, Mr Macron, because he is an example for the nation,” Mr Valet posted to social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

Proud mentors

Alan is due to finish his stay in Ireland next week, where he has been carrying out an internship at Spitalfields Pub & Restaurant in Dublin.

He was on his way to work when he came across the attacker and his mentors could not be more proud of their student.

In a post to Instagram they said: “This is our own 17 year old superhero Alan Loren-Guille who was one of the brave heroes that managed to disarm the school children attacker yesterday in Dublin on his way to work. He is one of our brilliant French stagiaires in the kitchen.

“He was relatively unscathed but for a couple of cuts to his hand and face. Without this act of bravery who knows what else might have happened”

The student, a follower of self-defence, is heading for a military career. He gave his statement on Thursday to the Garda Siochana, the Irish police service.

Riots broke out in Dublin in the evening following the incident and the arrest of a suspect.

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