Sudanese Belfast 'knife attack' suspect 'was a policeman in Khartoum'

The Sudanese Belfast knife attack suspect was a policeman in Khartoum before he travelled to the UK through the asylum 'back door', friends have revealed.Hadi Alodid, 30, was born in Saudi Arabia to a high-profile family from northern Sudan, and was reportedly followed into the UK by two brothers.The suspect refused to speak when he appeared before Belfast Magistrates' Court charged with attempted murder - after Stephen Ogilvie, 44, was left missing an eye and with lacerations to his face, neck and back.Those who knew Alodid before he travelled across the Mediterranean, through Paris and Dublin, and finally to Belfast, said his family hails from the town of Karim, north Sudan.He was born and spent his early years in Saudi Arabia, but headed back to Sudan for his education.A man called Azheri Omer said he had been friends with Alodid in Sudan, and that they began the journey to Europe together.Mr Omer said Alodid had joined the police force in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, but quit after a few months.The pair decided to head to Europe by crossing Libya after civil war broke out in Sudan in April 2023. Hadi Alodid, 30, pictured in a court sketch after his appearance on Wednesday, worked as a policeman in Sudan's capital, according to a friend Graphic footage of the knife attack circulated widely on social media on Monday night Stephen Ogilvie, 44, lost an eye following the attack and suffered injuries to his back, neck and face Speaking to The Telegraph over the phone, Mr Omer said Alodid had saved up enough money to take him across the Mediterranean Sea and into Europe, but that his own funds had run out in Libya.Two of Alodid's brothers later followed in his footsteps, sources familiar with the family told the paper.One was said to now be living in Liverpool, while the other was thought to be living in Belfast with Alodid.The suspect's family is understood to be refusing to speak about his arrest and charge, even to friends.If Alodid indeed moved to escape the civil war, then he is among an estimated 14 million displaced from their homes and four million to have left the country in the face of the conflict.Many of these have made their way to Britain, with statistics showing that number of Sudanese small boat migrants claiming asylum in the UK has soared in the past three years.The rate at which their asylum applications are granted has been above 90 per cent since 2023, when a controversial 'fast-track' scheme was introduced, as the graphs below show.The Daily Mail today revealed that Alodid was granted leave to remain in Britain under this scheme.