Arrests in 'Kerry babies' case a 'significant development', says Varadkar

Additional reporting by PA.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has described the arrests of two people as part of the investigation into the death of a baby boy almost 40 years ago as “a significant development”.

The two people have been arrested on suspicion of murder.

The body of the five-day-old infant, known as Baby John, was found with multiple stab wounds in a bag on a beach in Co Kerry in April 1984. The high-profile matter became known as the 'Kerry babies' case,

On Thursday, gardaí confirmed a man (60s) and a woman (50s) have been arrested in the Munster region and are being detained in Garda stations in the south of the country.

"This is a case that has never been closed, and I understand the gardaí have made some arrests now," the Taoiseach said.

"It is a live investigation, so probably best for me not to say too much about it, but it's a really tragic case that I think everyone in the country is familiar with, and gardaí have continued to investigate and I understand this is a significant development."

The arrests announced on Thursday come after a review of the case was launched in 2018 when a fresh appeal for information was made.