Disorder breaks out in Belfast after man charged with knife attack

People have been forced to flee their homes in Belfast amid disorder following a knife attack.

Houses and cars have been set on fire and all public transport has been paused in the city.

A 30-year-old Sudanese man is due to appear in court on Wednesday charged with attempted murder following the 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.

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 police officers arrived.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) have called for calm as "sporadic pockets of disorder" have broken out across Northern Ireland in response to the attack.

People gathered at a number of locations, including Londonderry, Antrim, Newtownabbey, Ballymena, Bangor and Belfast.

Some protests passed peacefully but violence erupted in a number of areas.

"Cars were set alight on the road, which caught fire to my house but masked men were bashing down doors," a resident in Lendrick Street, in east Belfast, told BBC News NI.

A group of about 100 masked people were on the Newtownards Road in east Belfast where doors were kicked in and windows were broken.

Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader, Jon Burrows, said a large number of them were teenagers.

Bins and a bus were also set on fire.

A Translink spokesperson condemned the attack on its bus service and suspended services.

Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson appealed for "voices of influence within local communities to encourage peaceful protest and discourage any involvement in violence or disorder".

Earlier, Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said there would be an increased police presence on the streets in the coming days.

Elsewhere, a police Land Rover was attacked on the Crumlin Road and houses and cars were on fire nearby.

A significant emergency response remains in the area, but protesters have left the scene after the rain started.

At a house which has had its windows broken, a woman shouted through the letterbox, urging the occupants to come outside.

A pastor helping people targeted in the area said members of his church "who have been with us for 20 years" were being put out of their homes "because they're black".

"I'm angry and disappointed that this is the response of people in our community," pastor Jack McKee said.

The police and fire service were also in attendance at Sandy Row in Belfast, assessing what appeared to be a shop front on fire.

About 10 people in dark clothing were watching on.

Two cars were set alight at the Cloughfern roundabout in Newtownabbey and a police car was set ablaze in Portadown.

Independent MLA Doug Beattie said he saw the police car on fire while on his way back to his constituency office.

"Taking this out on the police or innocent members of the public is counter-productive and must be condemned," he said.

A Turkish barber shop was also attacked in Ballyclare in County Antrim.

Ulster Unionist MLA Steve Aiken said it was not what he wanted to see in the town.

"To see broken windows and damaged shops doesn't help anyone and just hurts our own," he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the leaders of Northern Ireland's five main parties issued a statement to say they were "united" in their condemnation of the "horrific incident".

After disorder broke out, First Minister Michelle O'Neill criticised what she described as "groups of masked men burning families out of their homes" as "outright thuggery".

"The attack in north Belfast was heinous and wrong, but there are dangerous attempts to exploit that to target and attack innocent people," she added.

Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly urged people to protest peacefully.

"I know all are horrified about what has happened. I know so many are angry and there are those who want to register a protest," she said.

"This is an appeal to act in an entirely peaceful way. Violence does not advance any cause, it damages it."

Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said that "there is no justification at all for this type of destruction and thuggery".

On Tuesday night, Justice Minister Naomi Long said there is no place for "masked thugs" in Northern Ireland.

"While I recognise and understand the concerns following on from the attack in north Belfast, hate cannot be allowed to win," she said.

Who was the alleged attacker?

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.

The PSNI's chief constable 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.