A GARDA SOURCE HAS TOLD the Guardian that yesterday’s double stabbing attack in Drogheda, Co Louth, may have been the country’s first ‘honour killing’.

Two people, a man and a woman, received serious injuries in the attack.

The man, 32, underwent emergency surgery but died in hospital early this morning. The woman’s injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

A so-called honour killing is one where the victim, often a woman, is accused of bringing shame on their family and is killed by their relatives. In March, the UN called on governments around the world to tackle the the killings, of which it estimates there are 5,000 per annum.

RTÉ’s Paul Reynolds reported on News at One today that about 12 such killings take place in the UK every year, but none has been known to occur in Ireland before. The victims are understood to have originally come from Pakistan, and Reynolds said the Pakistani community in Ireland has been assisting the gardaí with their investigation.

One man, 30, was arrested in Drogheda late last night.