The Sudanese man arrested over a horrific knife attack in Belfast yesterday was granted leave to remain for five years by the Home Office, police have confirmed. He was given asylum by the Home Office in 2023, having travelled from Sudan to Paris, then to Dublin and then Belfast by bus where he immediately made a claim. The individual in question was arrested at 10.30pm on Monday on suspicion of murder.
Distressing footage circulating on social media shows the migrant holding his victim, a man in his 40s, to the ground. The victim suffered ‘significant injuries to his eyes’. Pressed on the perpetrator’s migration status, Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson, of the PSNI, said: ‘My understanding is that the individual came into Northern Ireland from Dublin, moving up, and then was granted leave to remain.’
An anti-immigration protest is set to take place after messages circulated on social media. Messages online have called for men aged 18 and over to attend wearing dark clothes and being ‘prepared to fight or be arrested’.
Commenting on the attack, Sir Keir Starmer said: ‘The horrific attack in Belfast last night is sickening. I have absolutely no tolerance for abhorrent scenes of violence like this on our streets. My thoughts are first and foremost with the victim, and I thank the first responders, including members of the public who intervened.’
In a joint statement, Gavin Robinson, DUP leader, Michelle O’Neill, Sinn Féin’s vice-president, Naomi Long, Alliance leader, Jon Burrows, UUP leader, and the SDLP leader Claire Hanna said: ‘There is no place in our society for this kind of brutality. Our immediate thoughts are with the victim and his family, and we hope he makes a full and complete recovery.
‘We recognise the distress and fear this incident will cause within the local community. We urge people not to share the deeply disturbing images or videos, as their graphic nature would only serve to retraumatise those involved.’
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