The 32-year-old has replied to social media comments calling him a hero saying how people could choose a more flattering photo of him.

He told the Daily Mail of the moment he approached the knifeman who had his victim pinned to the floor.

He said: ‘[My friend’s] trained in Brazilian jujitsu and so he approached them to separate them but as he got closer he saw the knife. It looked to be a serrated steak-knife but with a broken handle.

‘He shouted to me that the man attacking the other had a knife and to get something to help.

‘At this point I thought someone was going to lose their life.

‘I’d taken my son to hurling practice earlier that evening and so I’d got out of the car, gone to the boot and grabbed his hurling stick.

‘Instinct took over and I ran over and I smashed this guy over the head with the hurling stick. Right on the flat side, about three times. As hard as I could.

‘Andre was a few seconds behind and he came running in and tried to subdue the attacker with an ankle-hold so he could free the victim.

‘I hit this guy again, hard, but it didn’t seem to phase him. He did stumble back, though and dropped the knife. I think another man who’d been watching came in and kicked the knife away.

‘We were trying to roll the attacker onto his stomach to subdue him but he was struggling. The police then arrived and four officers took over before armed tactical support turned up.

‘The victim was still conscious. But he was weak with all the blood loss. ‘When he was taken away, he looked to have a horrible injury to his eye. The knifeman was led away by six officers but they were still struggling with him.’

He added: ‘I’m glad we intervened when we did. It was pure chance that we’d gone that route to the petrol station.

‘People have called us heroes but to be honest I’d like to think most people would’ve got stuck in and helped if they could. I just hope the victim pulls through and manages to recover as best he can.’

Niall Donnan, who set up a GoFundMe to ‘buy Maitiu a pint’, told Metro: ‘I could only bear to watch two or three seconds of the video.

‘I live just 30 minutes away. I just thought this guy deserves something for his bravery, so I just got on it as soon as possible.

‘I have reached out to him online, but he hasn’t got back yet. He’s obviously got thousands of messages coming through.

‘It’s all over Facebook, everywhere on my feed is just full of pictures of him praising his bravery.’

Niall added: ‘For sure, he definitely has saved his life, providing the victim’s condition doesn’t worsen.

‘He’s given the man a chance. The hurley stick is such an Irish symbol – it is amazing what he did.’

He added: ‘If we can take anything from this horrific story, we can take pride in knowing that we can look out for each other. We should look out for each other, and that’s the beautiful thing about human connection and our society.’

PSNI chief constable Sir Jon Boutcher said the suspect, understood to be Sudanese, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder.

A kitchen knife was also found at the scene.

The suspect is believed to have entered Northern Ireland via Dublin and in February 2023 claimed asylum. It is understood the Home Office granted the man leave to remain in Northern Ireland on 28 September 2023.

In the House of Commons today, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, hailedsaid: ‘My thoughts are first and foremost with the victim, and I thank the first responders, including members of the public who intervened.’

The scene outside an apartment complex off Kinnaird Avenue in the lower Antrim Road area remained cordoned off on Tuesday morning, with markers visible on the ground where the attack had taken place.

In a video too graphic to publish, a knifeman holds a bloody hand in the air as he pins the victim to the ground. The suspect aims several stabbing motions towards his face.