Irish police said Friday detectives were probing a possible terrorism link after a teenager allegedly stabbed an army chaplain outside a barracks in the western city of Galway, before being restrained by soldiers.

“A man in his 50s received a number of stab wounds during the incident,” which happened late Thursday, a police statement said.

He was taken to a hospital in Galway “for treatment of injuries that are serious but not life-threatening,” it added.

A male youth was restrained by members of the Defence Forces and arrested at the scene outside Renmore Barracks, and is being held in custody, said police.

The Special Detective Unit within Ireland’s police force — which is responsible for responding to terrorist threats — is leading the investigation.

“One line of inquiry is to establish if this attack had a terrorism motivation,” the statement said.

The police “wishes to reassure the public that at this time it is not believed this incident is part of a wider conspiracy”.

According to the Irish Times newspaper, police sources said it was believed the suspected attacker, a 16-year-old Irish national from the Galway area, had been radicalised online in recent months.

The suspect had a grievance about the presence of Irish Defence Forces in the Middle East, and his social media postings will form a central part of the investigation, the newspaper said.

The Irish Defence Forces are involved in various global peacekeeping missions — including United Nations operations covering Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Israel — involving around 100 personnel, according to its website.

The victim of Thursday night’s stabbing, Paul Murphy, thanked the public for their prayers in a post on Facebook Friday, adding that he was awaiting surgery.

The priest was approached by a youth armed with a knife, according to the Irish Times.

Murphy ran through the barracks gate but was pursued by his attacker, it said.

According to an army statement, sentries at the barracks fired five warning shots “in strict accordance with force protection protocols” and used a baton to subdue the attacker.

Ireland’s deputy prime minister and defence minister Micheal Martin condemned the attack.

“I commend the members of the Defence Forces on duty at the time, whose intervention was critical,” said Martin.

“Our thoughts are with the Defence Forces member injured in the attack,” he said.