The Papers: 'Violence in Belfast' and Trump's 'war words'

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. 'Violence in Belfast' and Trump's 'war words'16 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleReports of violence on the streets of Belfast following Monday's knife attack dominate Wednesday's papers. The Guardian reports that crowds burned vehicles and blocked roads in and around the city. On its front page is a photo of a bus set ablaze by protesters in the city centre.

A 30-year-old Sudanese man has been charged with attempted murder after Monday's attack. The i Paper carries pleas for calm from police and politicians and notes that there are fears of further disorder across cities in the UK. Similarly, the Independent quotes Northern Ireland 's police chief as saying now is "not a time for protest".

The Details

The Times reports that the suspect was granted asylum in 2023 after he fled Sudan. Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said there was "no trace" of him on any of the national security databases and he was not known to police, the paper says. The suspect is believed to have travelled from Sudan to Paris and then to Dublin, before taking a bus to Belfast in February 2023, the Daily Telegraph reports.

The paper adds that the suspect's arrival in the UK is "likely to prompt criticism of European countries, particularly France, over policing of their borders". "Broken border crisis" is the view of the Daily Mail, which writes that the attack raises new questions over what it describes as a "gaping backdoor" to the UK. The Daily Express describes the actions of three residents who rushed to help the victim as "the very best of humanity".

The paper's front page pictures one of the "heroes" wielding a stick at the suspect. The Sun also features an image of the "hero passer-by" who helped fend off the suspect. The Financial Times shifts its focus to the Iran war and President Donald Trump's vow to respond to the downing of an American helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz, which the US military said was hit by an Iranian drone on Monday.

What Experts Say

Metro leads with a first-of-its-kind sex-based harassment prosecution. David Stroud grabbed a woman's hair and asked if he could kiss her on an evening train to London from Hastings, East Sussex. He was arrested two days after a new law banning harassment motivated by a person's sex came into force on 1 April.

In World Cup news, the Daily Mirror says the football community is furious after a referee from Somalia was barred from entering the US after an "11-hour interrogation" at Miami airport. Omar Artan said he had a visa and that he was not given a reason for being denied entry. And the Daily Star reports that fake football shirts are "flooding" into the UK ahead of the tournament.

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The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.