Peaceful end to four-hour standoff at Halal shop

A tense four-hour standoff involving a woman who refused to leave a Halal shop in the centre of Tralee ended peacefully shortly before 8pm Friday night.

Castle St was sealed off and a Garda negotiator and on-scene commander attended the scene of the standoff on Lower Castle St in Tralee town centre in which the woman, reportedly armed with knives, refused to leave the shop which sells meat prepared as prescribed by Muslim law.

Picture of the scene via Gavin O’Connor (@gockarocka)

It is understood the woman, who is in her 30s and thought to be from Co Cork, entered the shop at around 4pm. It is not clear exactly what took place. However, staff left the shop quickly.

The area was closed to pedestrians and traffic while the incident lasted.

While the woman armed herself with knives, no one else was at risk, according to Supt Jim O’Connor of Tralee Garda Station.

The woman’s family was contacted during the stand-off. It is understood she may have health issues. An ambulance and a paramedic were at the scene and the Garda presence increased as the stand-off continued.

Around 8pm, the woman left the premises through the side entrance of an adjacent building following exchanges with Garda negotiators. She was arrested and taken to Tralee Garda Station where she was being held in custody last night.

Nobody was injured in the incident.