Protests grow in Belfast after man arrested in knife attack

June 9 (UPI) -- Protests spread around Belfast and in other Northern Ireland cities on Tuesday after a Sudanese man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a knife attack Monday night.

The BBC reported that homes, other buildings and a bus were ablaze Tuesday in Belfast and that emergency crews were still working to bring the fires under control. It also reported unrest in other locations, including Ballyclare, where protestors smashed the door and windows of a Turkish barber shop.

Sky News reported Tuesday that protestors set a Middle Eastern grocery store on fire and attacked police vehicles.

Police said the suspect in the knife attack is Sudanese and 30 years old. The Home Office said he entered the United Kingdom in 2023 and was granted refugee status.

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Northern Ireland's first minister, Michelle O'Neill, condemned the violence, saying, "Groups of masked men burning families out of their homes is nothing less than disgusting cowardice."

"This has nothing to do with community," she said. "This is outright thuggery. The attack in North Belfast was heinous and wrong. But there are dangerous attempts to exploit that to target and attack innocent people who are simply trying to live, work and raise their families here. Racism, intimidation and violence are wrong wherever they occur."

The victim of the knife attack, a man believed to be in his 40s, is in serious condition, a spokesperson for the Police Service of Northern Ireland said Tuesday. The attack occurred in the Kinnaird Ave. area of north Belfast late Monday night. The victim of the attack suffered injuries to his eyes, face, neck and back.

"The horrific attack in Belfast last night is sickening," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said. "My thoughts are first and foremost with the victim, and I thank the first responders, including members of the public who intervened."

Video of the incident circulating online shows people intervening to stop the attacker with one person using a hurling stick, a large club-like wooden stick used in the Irish games hurling and camogie.

Ryan Henderson, assistant chief constable, said the police declared a critical incident and officers arrived on scene within minutes. Police are investigating to establish a motive for the attack.

Henderson asked that people not share images or footage of the attack.

"Doing so risks causing further trauma to the injured man's loved ones and may impact the ongoing investigation," he said.

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Troops in landing craft approach Omaha Beach on D-Day in Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944. D-Day was the largest seaborne invasion in history and turned the tide of World War II. Photo by UPI | License Photo