Belfast Protests Spread After Sudanese Man Held in Knife Attack

Protests flared across Belfast and other Northern Ireland towns Tuesday night after police arrested a Sudanese man on suspicion of attempted murder in a stabbing that sent a local man to hospital with serious injuries.

The BBC reported fires burning through homes, commercial buildings and a bus in Belfast, with emergency crews still working to contain them. Unrest spread to Ballyclare, where demonstrators smashed the door and windows of a Turkish barber shop. Sky News filmed protesters setting a Middle Eastern grocery store alight and attacking police vehicles.

Police identified the suspect as a 30-year-old Sudanese national. The Home Office said he entered the UK in 2023 and was granted refugee status.

Northern Ireland first minister Michelle O'Neill condemned the violence in blunt terms. "Groups of masked men burning families out of their homes is nothing less than disgusting cowardice," she said. "This has nothing to do with community. This is outright thuggery. The attack in North Belfast was heinous and wrong. There are dangerous attempts to exploit that to target and attack innocent people who are simply trying to live, work and raise their families here. Racism, intimidation and violence are wrong wherever they occur."

The stabbing victim, a man believed to be in his 40s, suffered wounds to his eyes, face, neck and back, a Police Service of Northern Ireland spokesperson said Tuesday. The attack happened on Kinnaird Avenue in north Belfast late Monday night.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the assault "sickening." His thoughts, he said, were "first and foremost with the victim," and he thanked first responders and members of the public who intervened.

Video circulating online showed nearby residents stopping the attacker. One person used a hurling stick, the wooden club from the Irish sports of hurling and camogie.

Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said police declared a critical incident and arrived within minutes. The motive remains under investigation.

Henderson appealed to the public not to share footage of the attack. "Doing so risks causing further trauma to the injured man's loved ones and may impact the ongoing investigation," he said.