A 50-year-old man has appeared in Dublin District Court charged with the attempted murder of three children and assault of a care worker during an incident at Parnell Square in the city last month.

Riad Bouchaker, of no fixed abode, was charged with the attempted murder of two female children and one male child.

He was also charged with the assault causing serious harm to a care worker.

He was further charged with three counts of assault causing harm as well as the possession and production of a 36cm kitchen knife.

Detective Sergeant Padraig Cleary told the court that Mr Bouchaker was arrested at 12.51pm on Thursday and provided details of the charges and cautions.

After being charged for one of the counts of attempted murder of a female child, the garda said the accused replied: “I am a sick person.”

And after being charged under caution for the possession or production of a weapon, Mr Bouchaker also said: “I am a sick person.”

The court was told he made no reply to any other charge.

Wearing a green jacket, black top, green trousers and slippers, Mr Bouchaker spoke only to the Arabic interpreter.

He was remanded in custody at Cloverhill prison to appear again at Cloverhill District Court via videolink on December 28.

A list of medication was provided to the prison and Judge Bryan Smyth ordered he receive any necessary medical attention.

The judge also ordered the defendant’s legal team cannot be identified by the media due to “safety concerns”.

A five-year-old girl and a woman in her 30s were left in a critical condition in hospital after the attack near a school on November 23.

Two other young children, a five-year-old boy and six-year-old girl, were also injured.

The attack happened hours before a riot broke out in the city centre of the capital, in an incident that has put pressure on the government and Garda Commissioner about safety and policing in Ireland.