Skip to content

Man, 30, charged with attempted murder after knife attack in Belfast

Social Media A image of a man with his hand up in the air. His face is blurred. Social Media
A man arrested at the scene has now been charged (screen grab from social media)

A 30-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder following a knife attack in north Belfast on Monday night.

He has also been charged with possession of an article with blade in a public place and threats to kill.

He is due before court on Wednesday.

A man in his 40s remains in hospital with serious injuries to his eyes, neck and back after the attack in Kinnaird Avenue at about 22:30 BST.

A video widely circulated online showed a number of people, including one wielding a hurling stick, confront the apparent attacker until the police arrived.

Protests have begun across Northern Ireland in response to the attack.

PA Media A Glider bus is engulfed in flames on a city street, with towering orange fire and thick black smoke billowing into the air. Nearby buildings, parked cars and a few onlookers are visible through the smoke.PA Media
A bin was set alight and pushed against a bus on the Newtownards Road in Belfast

People have gathered at Antrim, Newtownabbey, Ballymena, Bangor and Belfast.

More than a 100 people are at the Newtownards Road in Belfast where bins have been set alight and a bus has caught fire.

Earlier on Tuesday First Minister Michelle O'Neill, Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly along with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) chief constable all urged for calm.

Justice Minister Naomi Long implored people not to get involved in protests that have been called for on social media.

Chief Constable Jon Boutcher called for people to let justice take its course and said there would be an increased police presence on the streets tonight and in the coming days

Who was the alleged attacker?

Aodhan Roberts Forensics at crime sceneAodhan Roberts

An initial statement from the PSNI on Tuesday morning said they believed the alleged attacker was Somali, but have since confirmed he is Sudanese.

They said they recovered what they believe to be a kitchen knife at the scene.

The Home Office said the alleged attacker was on leave to remain in the UK until 2028.

He entered the UK in 2023 and was granted refugee status the same year.

"The individual claims to have entered the UK via the Common Travel Area," a spokesperson said.

Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said he understood the suspect made his way from Sudan to Paris before flying to Dublin, and then travelled by bus to Belfast on 10 February 2023 - the date on which he claimed asylum.

The suspect was not known to police and there is no trace of him on any of the PSNI national security databases, Boutcher said.