UK officials urge calm after Belfast stabbing and related protests

A 30-year-old Sudanese man was arrested in north Belfast on charges of attempted murder, possession of a knife in a public place and making threats to kill after a man in his 40s was seriously injured in a stabbing on Monday. The victim was taken to hospital with injuries to his eyes, face and back, and police said a kitchen knife was recovered at the scene.

Assistant chief constable Ryan Henderson of the Police Service of Northern Ireland said investigators were still determining a motive and found no evidence that the attack was terrorism-related. He added that police were not seeking additional suspects.

"This brutal attack will have sent shock waves through the community, causing real concern," Henderson said.

Following the arrest, protests erupted in Belfast, with participants in black hoodies setting fire to a bus, cars and trash bins. Similar demonstrations took place in Southampton, where activists gathered outside a hotel that had housed asylum seekers, displaying signs that linked illegal migration to societal decline.

Northern Ireland leaders, including chief constable Jon Boutcher, urged the public not to incite hatred or target specific communities. Boutcher noted the suspect had entered the United Kingdom on a five-year visa granted in September 2023 and had traveled from Sudan through Paris and Dublin before seeking asylum in Belfast. He was not previously known to local police.

In Parliament, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said he could not confirm whether the suspect had entered the UK illegally. Labour leader Keir Starmer condemned the stabbing as "sickening" and called for calm, emphasizing the need for police to conduct their investigation without interference.

Officials also warned against sharing graphic images of the attack online or spreading misinformation about the case.