Belfast: Houses targeted by protesters pledging to ‘get the foreigners out’ after bus torched
Belfast is up in flames after furious protestors torched targets across the city in response to the brutal knife attack on its streets last night – defying government ministers’ calls for calm.
Ugly scenes have broken out, with reports of masked men clashing with police, kicking in doors to ‘get the foreigners out’, and setting up checkpoints to search cars for asylum seekers.
Multiple houses were set on fire in Belfast, along with numerous vehicles, rubble piles and street barricades. These continued to burn as night fell, attended by a vast force of firecrews.
Police in Northern Ireland are investigating a serious knife attack in north Belfast that left a man in his 40s critically injured and led to the arrest of a 30-year-old Sudanese asylum seeker.
The assault took place late in the evening on a residential street, where the victim suffered severe injuries to his face, neck, back, and eye area. The attack was so violent that witnesses and some media reports have described it as an attempted beheading, although police have formally confirmed it as an attempted murder investigation.
According to police statements, the suspect was detained at the scene after members of the public intervened, with one bystander reportedly using a hurley stick to help stop the attack before officers arrived. A kitchen knife was recovered nearby, and the victim was taken to hospital in a serious condition.
Authorities have confirmed that the suspect is originally from Sudan and had entered the UK via Ireland before claiming asylum in 2023. He was later granted permission to remain in the country while his case was processed.
The incident has triggered strong political reactions in the UK, with calls from some politicians for greater transparency over immigration and asylum decisions. Others have urged restraint, warning against inflaming tensions or targeting communities based on the actions of individuals.
Police have said there is no current indication that the attack is linked to terrorism, and the investigation remains ongoing.
