Man threatens to set himself alight outside Dáil

A man has been arrested outside the Dáil after threatening to set himself on fire.

The man, a foreign national and aged in his thirties, doused himself with petrol from a two-litre Coca Cola bottle on top of a white van on Kildare Street at about 4pm this afternoon.

Gardaí and fire crews were quickly on the scene and sealed it off, closing Kildare Street and Molesworth Street to traffic for a period.

Gardaí talked the man down from the top of the van and arrested him.

One garda at the scene said he was unsure what he was protesting about, because he had "broken English".

Fire crews then washed down the van and the road and declared the incident over at about 4.30pm.

Among those who were on the street watching on as the incident unfolded were rugby stars Cian Healy and Jamie Heaslip.

Political commentator and writer Johnny Fallon tweeted some photos from the scene.

Man standing on van surrounded by gardai outside Leinster house pic.twitter.com/0gXbpjS1R0

— Johnny Fallon (@jonnyfallon) March 7, 2013

He is making feelings known to gardai and as I say Kildare st traffic blocked off at Leinster house pic.twitter.com/xsX74RsUZk

— Johnny Fallon (@jonnyfallon) March 7, 2013