Benicio, who works for a British online food delivery company called Deliveroo, was driving past a primary school and saw a yet-to-be-identified man grab a girl and take out his knife on her.
Using his instincts, Benicio summoned bravery and came to the rescue.
“When I saw the knife, I stopped my bike and I just acted by instinct,” he told the PA news agency on Friday.
Benicio said that he took off his helmet and hit the man in the head “with all of my power.”
He added, “I didn’t even know there were more kids that were (hurt) at that time. I thought it was just one girl but afterwards, I (found) out there were more people, more kids.
“I wish the family all the best. I pray for her to survive.”
Reports had it that three young children and a creche worker believed to be in her 30s, were injured in the attack in the Irish capital just after 1.30 p.m. on Thursday.
A five-year-old girl and woman remain in a serious condition in hospital, police said earlier.
However, an online fundraising page called ‘Buy Caio Benicio a pint’ has gone viral and had already raised more than €285,000 (£250,000) late Friday night, Sky News reports.
More so, another appeal in aid of the victims has also raised more than €160,000 (£140,000) – with the combined total raised heading towards half a million Euros.
Although police have not revealed any further details about the attacker or his motivation, but have said the incident did not appear to be terror-related.
While reacting to news of riots that broke out in the city on Thursday night in a rampage that officers blamed on a “lunatic faction driven by far-right ideology,”
Benicio said, “I’ve been here for about 20 years now, I don’t know politics here deeply to have an opinion about it.
“What I can say is I know the protest is against immigrants and for me it doesn’t make sense because I’m an immigrant myself and I was the one who helped out.”
Irish politician, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, praised Benicio for his heroic display, saying anyone who risked his life to save lives is a “real Irish hero” regardless of his nationality, while his deputy, Micheal Martin, said Benicio’s part “should not be forgotten.”
He noted, “We had a horrific, violent attack on children and adults. We think of them and we think of the Deliveroo person who came along to save the situation, perhaps for other children.”
Irish police have arrested 34 people in connection to Thursday night’s violence, in which a bus, tram and police vehicles were set on fire.
More than a dozen businesses were also severely damaged, the report noted.
