Gardaí are withholding the results of a post mortem examination on the dismembered body found in the Royal Canal in Dublin's north inner city on Wednesday night.
The human remains were found wrapped in cloth near the bridge over the canal in Ballybough.
Gardaí have confirmed that they are treating the matter as a murder inquiry.
They said the victim was a black adult male aged between 20 and 30 who had a strong, muscular build and was more than six feet tall.
He is believed to have been killed elsewhere and his remains may have been in the water for several days.
Detectives are drawing up a list of missing persons in an attempt to establish the dead man’s identity and have appealed for anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in the vicinity of canal to come forward.