Police officers secure the crime scene in north Belfast.Image: keystone
June 9, 2026, 6:48 p.mJune 9, 2026, 6:48 p.m
A bloody knife attack that left one seriously injured in the Northern Irish capital Belfast has reignited fears of racist riots in the United Kingdom.
Northern Ireland police said a man aged between 30 and 40 was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. The victim, a man between the ages of 40 and 50, was taken to hospital with serious injuries to his face, eyes and back, according to the statement. The incident occurred on Monday evening.
The alleged perpetrator comes from Sudan – which raised fears that the incident could be used as an opportunity for racially motivated riots. Britain’s best-known right-wing extremist Tommy Robinson has already shared calls for protests across the country.
Police ask not to share bloody video
In a video circulating online, an attacker with a knife can be seen sitting on a bloodied man in the middle of a street and attacking him with a knife. Every now and then he raises the knife and shouts something. After a while, several men venture nearby and try to separate the attacker from his victim.
The police asked that the video not be distributed. Northern Ireland Police Commissioner Jon Boutcher called on people not to be incited by social media and to let investigators do their work. There is so far no evidence of a terrorist background, the police said in a statement.
Warning of riots
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer strongly condemned the act. “The horrific attack in Belfast is disgusting. “I have absolutely no tolerance for horrific scenes of violence like this on our streets,” said Starmer on Platform X. Northern Irish politicians made similar statements and warned of riots. Great Britain was shaken by violent racially motivated riots in the summer of 2024.
Just last week there were riots on the sidelines of a protest in the southern English city of Southampton. The trigger was the publication of body camera footage that showed a blatant police error after the fatal knife attack on student Henry Nowak by a man from the Sikh community. Instead of arresting the murderer, who presented himself as the victim of a racist attack, the police handcuffed the dying Nowak. (sda/dpa)