A man in his 20s remains in Garda custody as part of the investigation into the fatal assault of 21-year-old Qayyum Balogun in Dublin city centre earlier this week.
Mr Balogun was found seriously injured on Clarendon Street, just off Grafton Street, at around 3am on Monday morning. He was taken to St James's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
A 19-year-old woman was also injured during the incident and was treated in hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
Gardaí confirmed that a man in his 20s was arrested on Wednesday in connection with the investigation and is being detained at a Garda station in the Dublin area.
A woman in her 20s was arrested on Tuesday but has since been released without charge. Gardaí said a file will now be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
The latest developments come as investigators continue their search for the chief suspect, who is believed to have fled to Britain shortly after the fatal attack.
According to reports, the suspect allegedly posted messages on social media in the hours after the stabbing, including: “Wats a body to me” and “rest in piss.” He is also reported to have continued posting videos online before later deleting much of his social media presence.
Gardaí have recovered the suspected murder weapon, which has been sent for forensic examination.
Detectives have also gathered evidence from an Airbnb property in Dublin 4, where several individuals allegedly involved in the incident stayed following the attack.
Members of the Garda Technical Bureau carried out examinations at the property and reportedly recovered blood-stained clothing.
The suspect is understood to be known to Gardaí and was previously before the courts in relation to a separate serious knife attack. Investigators believe multiple people may have been involved in the violence and are continuing efforts to identify everyone connected to the incident.
Mr Balogun, a university student and club promoter, had been attending a rap event at Bewley's on Grafton Street when an altercation reportedly broke out between two groups.
The dispute escalated into a violent confrontation outside the venue. Mr Balogun attempted to leave through a side exit but was allegedly pursued for approximately 100 metres onto Clarendon Street, where he was stabbed multiple times, including a wound to the chest.
Gardaí believe he had no involvement in criminal activity and are investigating whether he was targeted solely because he was associated with people involved in the earlier altercation.
The young woman injured during the attack is understood to have been an innocent bystander with no connection to either group involved.
Tributes have continued to pour in for Mr Balogun on social media, where friends described him as “the most innocent person going” and said he was “murdered in cold blood.”
Another tribute described him as “the nicest person you could interact with, always smiling, never in any trouble, just a pure, kind, innocent soul.”
Speaking to RTÉ's Drivetime programme, Mr Balogun's family spoke of their devastation following his death.
His mother said: “When we got to the hospital, I saw my son's dead body. He was a very quiet guy, always friendly. He was a good boy and didn't cause trouble. He was his dad's best friend.”
His stepmother said the family wanted answers as to why such violence had been inflicted on “one of the sweetest souls you could meet.”
Garda investigations into the killing remain ongoing.
