A close relative of so-called 'Scissor Sister' Linda Mulhall has been arrested by gardaí after allegedly pulling a knife on a shopping centre security guard.

The Sunday Tribune has learned that a youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested on the grounds of the Tallaght Square Shopping Centre in Dublin three weeks ago after gardaí received a call from security staff.

Officers arrived at the scene and stopped the youngster who had a penknife. It has been alleged he produced the weapon and threatened a member of staff after being refused admission into the shopping complex.

Sources at the Square say that the youngster had been barred from the premises after a number of previous incidents. Uniformed officers arrived on the scene just minutes after the alleged incident and recovered the knife.

The child gave officers a surname that was not Mulhall but he later told them of his relationship with Linda and Charlotte Mulhall.

Linda Mulhall (33) is serving a 15-year sentence for the manslaughter of Farah Swaleh Noor, her mother's partner, who was stabbed to death in Ballybough in March 2005. Her 24-year-old sister Charlotte is serving a life sentence for Noor's murder.

It is believed that gardaí have not charged the youth with possession of an illegal weapon and it is likely that he will be processed through the Juvenile Liaison Programme which aims to prevent underage offenders from getting involved in a life of crime.