Police have set out a detailed account of a serious knife attack in north Belfast in which a man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. The assault was declared a critical incident. The victim was left with significant injuries and was taken to hospital. Officers said the attack had sent shockwaves through communities across Northern Ireland.
According to police, the attack happened in the Kinnaird Avenue area of Belfast on Monday night, at around half past ten. Officers arrived at the scene within a few short minutes. They detained and arrested the suspect and began administering first aid to the injured man. Colleagues from the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service arrived a short time later, and the victim, a man in his 40s, was taken to hospital with significant injuries.
Police singled out the actions of bystanders who stepped in during the violence. Members of the public ran towards the danger to intervene and help the injured man. An Assistant Chief Constable said he had no doubt that those members of the public saved the man's life. He also acknowledged the officers who arrived quickly to arrest the suspect and treat the victim.
The person held is a man in his 30s who police now understand to be Sudanese. He was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in custody. Officers said that at this time they are not seeking anyone else in connection with what happened. What is believed to be a kitchen knife was recovered at the scene.
Police also gave their current understanding of the suspect's immigration history, while stressing details were still to be confirmed. They said he was granted leave to remain in the United Kingdom on the 28th of September 2023. He is said to have made his way from Sudan to Paris on dates that are not known, then flown to Dublin, before travelling from Dublin to Belfast by bus on the 10th of February 2023 and claiming asylum that day.
Officers moved to address speculation about the nature of the attack. They said there was no trace of the suspect on national security databases and that he was not known to police in Northern Ireland. Police said they had been in direct contact with the head of counter-terrorism policing in the United Kingdom. At this stage, they said, there was no information to suggest the attack was terrorist-related, despite speculation that it might be.
Police and political leaders made repeated appeals for calm amid talk of protests being organised. They urged people to avoid speculation and to be careful about viewing or sharing footage online, warning it could cause further trauma to the victim's family and could affect the investigation. Police said they would increase their presence across Northern Ireland in the coming days to reassure all communities, including people who fear being wrongly associated with the suspect, and asked to be allowed to carry out their work without disruption.
The investigation moved quickly in the hours that followed. On Tuesday evening, the Police Service of Northern Ireland confirmed that the man in his 30s who had been arrested over the attack had been charged with attempted murder and other offences. He is due to appear in court in Belfast on Wednesday. Officers again asked that clips of the incident, which had been filmed, not be played on any platform, saying such footage should have been passed to police rather than shared on social media.
Despite the appeals for calm, serious disorder broke out in parts of Belfast on Tuesday evening. In the east of the city, on the Lower Newtownards Road, a large double-decker bus was set on fire and left engulfed in flames, with several hundred people gathering in the area before heavy rain thinned the crowds. Police said groups were assembling in pockets across different parts of the city, and a significant police presence was deployed to the flashpoints. The Prime Minister had earlier described the original attack as horrific and sickening, while officers continued to urge people to stay away and let calm return to the streets.