A female French student was seriously ill in a Dublin hospital last night after she was stabbed repeatedly in the throat, neck, arms and hands at the entrance to her apartment block in the city centre on Tuesday evening.
The 23-year-old student has been in Dublin for around two years studying marketing at the Dublin Institute of Technology.
She was attacked on Tuesday evening as she was about to enter her apartment at Bertram Court in the Christchurch area of the south inner city at around 7.30pm.
It was not clear if the attack was racially motivated. However, it is understood the woman's attacker was waiting for her at the entrance of the apartment block and that she may have been deliberately singled out.
The woman was found in the stairwell of the apartment block lying in a pool of blood. She had been stabbed in the hands and arms and also had a number of wounds on her back. It is understood her attacker made an attempt to slit her throat.
The emergency services were called and she was rushed to St James's Hospital. She was described as being seriously ill. Her condition is not life threatening.
Gardaí from Kevin Street have appealed for anybody with information to come forward. They can be contacted on (01) 6669400.