A man in his 50s has been arrested after an inmate at a Dublin prison was found murdered in his cell.
Inmate Mark Lawlor was found dead shortly after midnight on Saturday following reports of a vicious row with a fellow prisoner.
Mr Lawlor, who was in his 30s, was a petty criminal who had been in custody in Cloverhill Prison for just over a week facing theft charges.
Prison staff tried to resuscitate Lawlor but he could not be revived.
Reports suggest warders had to pull a fellow prisoner off him when they entered the cell following an altercation.
Gardai launched a murder inquiry following the death.
A garda spokesperson said: "The man was arrested at Cloverhill Prison on suspicion of murder.
"He is currently detained at Clondalkin Garda Station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984."
Gardai also revealed a post-mortem examination on Mr Lawlor's body has been completed but the results are not being released for operational reasons.
A source said: “Inmates in the cell next to Lawlor’s heard a commotion and notified warders but Lawlor was already dead by the time they got to him.
“They had to pull the other inmate off him.
“It’s understood that a fight broke out between the two inmates after midnight and Lawlor was strangled. A reason for the row is not yet known.
“A full investigation into the incident will now take place but there’s no rhyme or reason as to why it started yet.”
A spokesman from the Irish Prison Service said: “All practicable measures are taken by management and staff to ensure the safety of those in custody.
“However, regrettably no prison system can be completely free of violence and inter-prisoner assaults do occur.”
A Garda spokesman added: “Gardai are following a definite line of inquiry and the investigation is ongoing.”
