Gardaí waiting to interview a man about the murder of Ashling Murphy plan to arrest him and question him under caution when he is deemed mentally and physically well enough.
The man presented for treatment last Thursday and remains in a Dublin hospital with severe wounds.
The Irish Times reports that he will be arrested, rather than informally spoken to, but that detectives are in no rush to carry out that arrest.
Garda sources said they would need to be certain he is well enough, and that he would not need to return to hospital for treatment.
This would present issues in the interview process, and may lead to legal problems about the status of his responses if he was ever charged.
Garda sources stressed that he is a suspect in the case, and that no findings have been made against him. They said his status as a suspect and the plan to arrest him were not proof he had committed any offence.
In a statement released on Monday evening, gardaí said “significant progress” continues to be made in the investigation to date, but did not confirm specific details “for operational reasons.”
“An Garda Síochána are now asking for people in Tullamore to think about Wednesday the 12th January 2022 after 4pm,” the statement read.
“Did you see a man dressed in black tracksuit top (no hood), black tracksuit bottoms with a large white stripe or white writing on the side and black runners?
“Did you see this man walking in the Tullamore area? Did you give a lift to this man on the evening of the 12th January 2022?
“Did you notice this man loitering at any location or involved in any activity which drew your attention?”
