Sudanese Man Charged with Attempted Murder After Knife Attack in North Belfast
A Sudanese man in his 30s was arrested after a June 8 attack in North Belfast. The victim, a man in his 40s, suffered serious slash wounds and remains hospitalized.
France 24A Sudanese man in his 30s was arrested and charged after a stabbing in North Belfast on June 8, 2026. The victim, a man in his 40s, sustained serious slash wounds to his face, eyes, neck and back and remained in serious condition in a local hospital. Police recovered a kitchen knife at the scene.
Video of the attack shows a man straddling another man lying in a street and slashing him several times in the head and neck. Several people intervened and tackled the perpetrator as officers arrived. The suspect was initially described by police as believed to be Somali before being identified as Sudanese.
He was detained on suspicion of attempted murder. Forensic officers examined the scene on June 9. Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson declared the assault a critical incident. He said police had begun an investigation to establish a motive and added that at this stage there was no information to suggest the incident was terrorist-related.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the attack horrific and sickening. He stated he had absolutely no tolerance for abhorrent scenes of violence like this on the streets and said his thoughts were first and foremost with the victim while thanking first responders and members of the public who intervened.
The leaders of Northern Ireland's five main political parties issued a joint statement condemning the attack.
The statement said there is no place in society for this kind of brutality and called for calm and space to allow justice to take its course. Political leaders and police urged people not to share the graphic video.
On a five-year visa. Henderson said he was aware of speculation regarding the suspect's immigration status and that his understanding was the individual came into Northern Ireland from Dublin before gaining permission to remain. Northern Ireland saw more than a week of riots and disorder in June 2025 after two Romanian teenagers were charged with the attempted rape of a schoolgirl in Ballymena.
Those charges were later dropped due to a lack of evidence. Far-right led protests occurred a week before the Belfast attack over police response to a young white student fatally stabbed by a British Sikh man in southern England. Henderson said he was aware of calls for protest activity across Northern Ireland and appealed for calm.
