Eleven Afghan asylum seekers were last night threatening to hang themselves from a balcony in St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, if gardaí attempted to remove them and the other 26 men from Afghanistan who have been staging a hunger strike in the cathedral since last Sunday, write Conor Lally and Martin Wall
One of the men was reportedly standing on a ledge with a rope fixed around his neck.
The Irish Times has learned gardaí have profiled the men and believe there are three ringleaders. One of the protesters is the nephew of a former cabinet minister in the Taliban government in Afghanistan.
A heavy Garda presence was maintained from dawn throughout yesterday. Four of the original 41 protesters were taken to hospital yesterday and will not be permitted to return. Gardaí believe at least three of the eight minors involved were coerced into participation.
Sources said some of the men seemed "bent on martyrdom" and that their threats to kill themselves were being taken seriously.
The men were reportedly back on a hunger and thirst strike late last night after agreeing to take water for a period yesterday. Minister for Justice Michael McDowell insisted he would not negotiate.
Four of the men were taken away by ambulance yesterday. Three of them were hospitalised after their condition deteriorated, while the fourth - a minor - required treatment after slashing his wrists.
The eight minors in the group have been made wards of court following a High Court application by the Health Service Executive.
However, an application by gardaí to take the minors into custody and detain them was refused. The Church of Ireland called on the men to end their protest.