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The 30-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder after the knife attack on Monday night
James C. Reynolds Tuesday 09 June 2026 22:10 BST- Bookmark
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Close popoverProtesters gather in Belfast following the knife attack
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A Sudanese man has been charged over a knife attack in Northern Ireland that left one person in a serious condition in Belfast.
Police said the 30-year-old has been charged with attempted murder, while the victim, a man in his 40s, has been hospitalised with serious injuries to his eyes, back and face.
Footage circulating online showed members of the public trying to fight off the attacker before police arrived on the scene late on Monday, recovering what they believe is a kitchen knife.
Authorities have urged the public to remain calm and allow the police to do their jobs amid calls online for protest, at a time of heightened tensions in the UK over immigration.
Here is what we know about the suspect detained as police investigate the stabbing:
Who is the suspect and where is he from?
A 30-year-old Sudanese national has been charged with attempted murder. He has not been named.
Authorities are not looking for anybody else in connection with the case at this time, assistant chief constable Ryan Henderson said at a press conference on Tuesday.
Police initially reported that the suspect was believed to be of a Somali background.
Police vehicles sit near a cordon at the scene of a stabbing outside apartments in the Kinnaird Avenue area of north Belfast (Reuters)The Home Office has since said that the man arrested is a Sudanese national with leave to remain in the United Kingdom until 2028.
“The individual claims to have entered the UK via the Common Travel Area”, a spokesperson said.
How did he arrive in Northern Ireland?
Police believe the suspect travelled from Sudan to Paris some years ago before making his way on to Dublin in the Republic of Ireland and later reaching Belfast in Northern Ireland.
The man arrived in the UK in 2023 and was granted refugee status later that year, the Home Office said, adding that there is no record of him being in the country prior to that year.
Chief constable Jon Boutcher said he is believed to have been granted leave to remain in the UK on 28 September, 2023.
Mr Boutcher said police are working from the understanding that the man made his way from Sudan to Paris at dates unknown before flying on to Dublin, also at a date to be confirmed.
“From my current understanding, he then travelled from Dublin to Belfast by bus on February 10 of 2023 and claimed asylum on that date,” he added.
“There is no trace of this suspect on any of our national security databases, and he was not known to the Police Service of Northern Ireland.”