What we know about Belfast attack and disorder

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. What we know about Belfast attack and disorder1 hour ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleElla KiplingGetty ImagesDisorder was sparked across Belfast on Tuesday eveningViolence has broken out across Belfast with homes and vehicles set on fire following a knife attack in the north of the city on Monday night. A man is in hospital with serious wounds after the attack, and a 30-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder. Hadi Alodid, who is Sudanese, was arrested at the scene and appeared in court on Wednesday.

He was remanded into custody. Politicians and police have called for calm after people took to the streets across the city, with some reporting that residents were targeted based on their skin colour. Emergency services were called to the Kinnaird Avenue area in north Belfast on Monday night following a knife attack.

The Details

Police were at the scene within minutes and a man believed to be Sudanese was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Video circulating online shows a number of people, including one wielding a hurling stick, confronting the apparent attacker until the police arrived. A man injured in the attack, aged in his 40s, has been named as Steven Ogilvy.

He is in hospital where his condition is described as serious. Police said Ogilvy had slash wounds to his back and face, and eye injuries. The force recovered what it believed to be a kitchen knife at the scene.

PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said those who intervened were "heroic" and had "saved the life" of the victim. He added: "I want to reassure the local community that we are treating this attack with the utmost seriousness. The suspect, 30-year-old Hadi Alodid, lives in Duncairn Avenue in north Belfast.

What Experts Say

Alodid has been charged with attempted murder, possession of an article with blade or point in a public place and threats to kill an NHS worker. He appeared at Belfast Magistrates' Court via video link from Musgrave Serious Crime Suite. Alodid was refused bail and was remanded into custody to appear in court again on 8 July.

An initial statement from the PSNI on Tuesday morning said police believed the suspect was Somali, but they later confirmed that he is Sudanese. The Home Office said the suspect was on leave to remain in the UK until 2028. He entered the UK in 2023 and was granted refugee status the same year.

"The individual claims to have entered the UK via the Common Travel Area", a spokesperson said. Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said he understood the suspect made his way from Sudan to Paris before flying to Dublin, and then travelled by bus to Belfast on 10 February 2023 - the date on which he claimed asylum. He told reporters at Stormont: "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.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.