A 44-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the fatal stabbing of 87-year-old Clare man Thomas O'Halloran in west London.
Mr O'Halloran, who was originally from Ennistymon, was using a mobility scooter and had lived in the Greenford area.
He is survived by his brothers George and Richard, and sister Bridget, as well as many nieces and nephews, who live in the west Clare town.
The man was arrested at an address in Southall, west London, in the early hours of this morning, the Metropolitan Police said, after it had put out an appeal on social media with a CCTV image of the man.
Detective Chief Inspector Jim Eastwood who leads the investigation said:
“I would like to thank the public for their overwhelming support following this horrific incident. As a result of the release of a CCTV image yesterday, an arrest has been made and this investigation is progressing at pace.
“Mr O’Halloran’s family have been updated with this development and continue to be supported by specially trained officers. I would reiterate their previous request that their privacy is respected by everyone as they continue to come to terms with their tragic loss.”
Former Labour MP Stephen Pound also paid tribute to Mr O'Halloran who was a constituent of his.
"Tom was a real local character, he would be outside Greenford station playing the accordion, occasionally the harmonica, he was a sweet, lovely man," he told GB News.
O'Halloran been collecting money for Ukrainian refugees with busking performances outside Greenford train station, according to reports, and according to Mr Pound, his lack of presence in the local community will cause "hurt".
He said: "He was collecting money for Ukrainian refugees, there are things we can't say at the moment because we don't know the facts.
"But what I know is, Greenford is hurting about this. We had a fatal stabbing in Acton about two days ago, a 58-year-old woman was killed by a younger person.
"Ealing is not a dangerous, dodgy place, it's not the wild west.
"Someone like Thomas O'Halloran, he was a very Ealing person, he comes from the Irish community which is very deep in our part of the world.
"He was well liked and well loved, but above all, he was one of those characters who would cement an area.
Detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command are leading the investigation.
Anyone with footage of the incident is asked to upload it using this online form.
If you have any other information about the murder, please call the incident room on 020 8358 0300 quoting 4691/16AUG.
Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, by calling 0800 555 111 or by visiting www.crimestoppers-uk.org.
See More: Ealing, Greenford, Met Police, Thomas O'Halloran
