Police in Northern Ireland said they have arrested a Sudanese national in connection with a knife attack which seriously injured a man and is currently being treated as attempted murder, but is not being treated as a suspected act of terrorism.
He also appealed to the public for calm amid calls from the far-right for anti-immigration protests, a year after a week of riots in Northern Ireland following the alleged attempted rape of a schoolgirl.
What did the police say about the crime?
Assistant Chief Constable of Northern Ireland Ryan Henderson declared Monday night’s crime a “serious incident”, but said investigators had yet to find any indication of a terrorist motive.
“I think last night’s assassination attempt will cause a range of emotions in people, from fear to anger.” Henderson said this in a press conference. “I respond to this with a call for peace and the safety of all our communities.”
The victim, a man in his 40s, suffered serious eye injuries and lacerations to his face and back in the attack with a kitchen knife, Henderson said.
Footage of the crime circulating online showed several members of the public coming forward before police arrived at the scene, as the suspect, a 30-year-old Sudanese man, continued to attack the victim after he fell to the ground.
The suspect was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, Henderson said. They said based on preliminary information the man lived locally, having moved there from Dublin, south of the inner-Irish border, after he had been granted leave to live in the area.
“He remains in custody and at this time we are not looking for anyone else in connection with this investigation,” Henderson said.
How did Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other politicians react?
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the attack as tragic and thanked the public for coming forward to help.
“The horrific attack in Belfast last night is tragic,” he wrote online. “I have a zero tolerance for these despicable scenes of violence on our streets. My thoughts are first and foremost with the victims, and I think they also include members of the public who intervened and were among the first responders.”
Northern Ireland’s main political leaders issued a joint statement condemning the attack, calling it “appalling” and urging police to remain calm during the investigation.
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengley, in an address to Parliament at Stormont, called for “clear, timely and transparent communication” from officials amid the investigation and said it was “essential to establish the facts, but also to address any misinformation or rumours.”
Why have migrant crime tensions increased in Northern Ireland and the wider UK?
A widely shared post by far-right campaigner Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, called for mass protests across Britain on Tuesday evening, suggesting a list of 70 places to gather in major towns and cities.
Robinson supporter Elon Musk, among others, amplified the message, writing on his owned social media platforms: “Only by protesting repeatedly and loudly will any change happen!”
It is a protest against the capital murder conviction of a Sikh man last week for the murder of a white university student in Southampton, England, in December.
The case attracted particular attention because when they arrived at the scene the killer falsely claimed he was the victim of an attack, prompting the police to first handcuff the victim.
In Northern Ireland in particular, there was a week of unrest and rioting last June after the alleged attempted rape of a schoolgirl by two Romanian nationals.
“Nobody in Northern Ireland wants to see a repeat of the chaos we have seen in recent years,” Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said on Tuesday.
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Edited by: Jennifer Cimino Gonzalez