Man rearrested after Citywest assault charges dropped

A man who had charges against him dropped today - after he had been accused of sexually assaulting a girl in a case that led to three days of rioting in Dublin last year - has been rearrested.

The man was released from the Midlands prison this afternoon but immediately rearrested on foot of a deportation order and is now back in the Midlands prison.

In October 2025, false allegations, misinformation and disinformation was widely circulated online that subsequently fuelled three days of rioting at Citywest in Dublin.

The man was subsequently arrested and charged with two counts of sexual assault on 20 October 2025, but the charges against him were dropped today.

The State told Judge Martin Nolan in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that it was not proceeding against the 27-year-old man and entered a "nolle prosecui".

The judge directed that the man who appeared in court by video link be released from custody.

He was then arrested by officers from the Garda National Immigration Bureau this afternoon.

Thirty-seven people were arrested as part of the investigation into the riots last year, and 28 of them were charged with criminal offences and brought before the courts.