The victim Paul Murphy, who is in his 50s, was treated for “serious but not life-threatening” injuries, after being stabbed several times late Thursday, police said.

A youth arrested at the scene outside Galway’s Renmore Barracks remained in police custody Friday. He was restrained by soldiers who fired warning shots during the incident.

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

“One line of inquiry is to establish if this attack had a terrorism motivation,” Irish police, known as Garda Siochana, said in a statement.

However, the force added that it “wishes to reassure the public that at this time it is not believed this incident is part of a wider conspiracy”.

Prime Minister Simon Harris called it “a serious attack on a member of the Defence Forces” but urged people to wait for the police investigation.

“A serious line of inquiry is being pursued and at this time it is important to allow Gardai to work to establish all the facts,” he said in a statement.

The incident is the latest tumult to hit Ireland and neighbouring Britain, which have both seen anti-immigration riots in recent weeks.

A soldier was stabbed near an army barracks in southeast England last month, with police pointing to “mental health-related” issues as the likely motive.

The Irish Times cited police sources as saying that the suspect in Thursday’s attack was a 16-year-old Irish national from the Galway area who had been radicalised online in recent months.

The newspaper initially reported the suspect had a grievance about the presence of Irish Defence Forces in the Middle East.

But it later clarified that the suspect had shouted complaints about Irish military involvement in Mali, in west Africa, during the attack.

Irish Defence Forces are involved in various peacekeeping roles, including United Nations operations covering Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Israel as well as European Union training missions in Mali.

Collectively, they involve around 100 personnel, according to the forces’ website.

Murphy thanked the public for their prayers in a Facebook post on Friday, adding that he was awaiting surgery.

The priest was approached by a youth armed with a knife as he arrived at the barracks by car, according to the Irish Times.

Murphy rolled down his window when the teenage suspect approached the vehicle and allegedly started to stab the victim with a previously hidden knife, the paper 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.

Other personnel administered first aid to the chaplain, who remained conscious as they waited for paramedics.

Deputy prime minister and defence minister Micheal Martin said: “I commend the members of the Defence Forces on duty at the time, whose intervention was critical.”