People watch as firemen arrive to put out vehicle that was set alight during a protest in East Belfast following a stabbing incident in Belfast, Tuesday, June 9, 2026.
Peter Morrison/AP
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Peter Morrison/AP
LONDON — On Tuesday, U.K. leaders urged calm following the arrest of a Sudanese man accused of attempting to murder another man in a violent stabbing on a Belfast street. The arrest led to intense anti-immigration protests, as the suspect is an asylum seeker.
The victim, a man in his 40s, sustained serious injuries to his eyes, face, and back during an attack late Monday in north Belfast, Northern Ireland, according to police.
The 30-year-old suspect, whose name has not been released, remains in custody on charges of attempted murder, possession of a knife in a public area, and making death threats. A kitchen knife was recovered at the crime scene.
Authorities are investigating the motive, although there is currently no evidence linking the attack, which was captured on video, to terrorism, said Ryan Henderson, assistant chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland. He also mentioned that no other suspects are being sought.
“Such a brutal attack will undoubtedly shock the community, causing significant concern,” Henderson stated.
Officials in Northern Ireland, including the chief constable, have urged the public to refrain from inciting hatred or fear or targeting specific communities amid reports of planned protests.
In East Belfast, protesters in black hoodies, some masked, set a bus on fire. Cars and trash bins were also ignited as groups gathered in various parts of the city.
Demonstrators march along Portswood Road in Southampton, England, on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, during an Enough is Enough protest, after a man from Sudan was arrested over a knife attack in Belfast.
Andrew Matthews/PA via AP
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Andrew Matthews/PA via AP
In Southampton, England, demonstrators took to the streets following the sentencing of a man who had killed a university student with a knife, leading to violent confrontations with police the previous week.
Despite both the victim and the convicted killer being British, protesters gathered outside a Southampton hotel that once accommodated asylum seekers, displaying signs that read, “Illegal Migration Is Destroying Our Civilisation.”
The Belfast incident provoked immediate inquiries about the suspect’s immigration status, including from some political figures. Gavin Robinson, of the Democratic Unionist Party, called for measures against “uncontrolled immigration.”
Northern Ireland’s chief constable Jon Boutcher informed reporters that the suspect was residing in the U.K. under a five-year visa issued in September 2023. Boutcher noted that the suspect was believed to have traveled from Sudan to Paris and then to Dublin before seeking asylum in Belfast.
Boutcher added that the suspect was not previously known to Northern Irish authorities.
During parliamentary discussions, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn could not confirm if the alleged attacker had entered the U.K. illegally.
Starmer denounced the attack as “sickening,” stating his “no tolerance for abhorrent scenes of violence like this on our streets.”
His office emphasized the need for calm, highlighting the importance of allowing police the time and space to conduct a thorough investigation.
Police and senior politicians have urged the public not to share graphic images of the attack circulating online or to propagate misinformation about the incident.
In a separate case last week, activists and U.S. Vice President JD Vance blamed immigration for the December stabbing death of a university student in Southampton, England.
Henry Nowak, who was white, was killed by Vickrum Digwa, a Sikh who falsely claimed to police he had been the victim of a racist assault by Nowak. Initially, police treated the injured Nowak as a suspect until they noticed his wound and attempted to revive him.
Digwa was convicted of murder for stabbing Nowak with a Sikh dagger and received a life sentence with a minimum 21-year term. This case has sparked intense debates about policing and race, and a protest over Nowak’s death turned violent, with some participants assaulting police with chairs and rocks. Several individuals were charged with violent disorder related to the protest.
