Violence erupted across Belfast on Tuesday night after anti-immigration demonstrations were organized in response to a brutal knife attack that left a local man seriously injured. The unrest followed the circulation of graphic footage showing a man repeatedly slashing another man in the head and neck with a knife in a residential area of north Belfast.
????HORRIFIC ATTEMPTED BEHEADING ON THE STREETS OF BELFAST ????Graphic Warning ⚠️ Just after 10:30pm last night on Kinnaird Avenue, North Belfast, a man was slashed and stabbed in a frenzied attack, with the suspect on top of him on the ground repeatedly hacking at his head and…
— ????????British and Proud???????? (@unionjackspirit) June 9, 2026
Police later charged a 30-year-old Sudanese man with attempted murder, possession of a bladed weapon in a public place, and making threats to kill. The suspect, who is due to appear in court, is reported to have arrived in the United Kingdom in 2023 and was granted refugee status and permission to remain until 2028. Authorities said he was not known to security services or police and that there is currently no evidence linking the attack to terrorism.
The victim, a man in his 40s, was taken to hospital with severe eye injuries and multiple slash wounds to his face and back. Witnesses intervened during the assault before police arrived, helping to stop the attack. Officers recovered what they believe was a kitchen knife at the scene.
