Home Secretary issues plea to stop ‘fanning flames of division’ in stabbing outcry
Shabana Mahmood appeared on Loose Women as she reassured wider lessons for the police
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood appeared on Loose Women(Image: ITV)
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has issued a plea to stop ‘fanning flames of division’ after a huge public outcry following the Belfast stabbing incident and the death of Henry Nowak in Southhampton.
Shabana Mahmood was appointed as the UK’s Home Secretary on September 5, 2025, during a cabinet reshuffle. She previously served as the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor.
As she sat ready to be faced with questions on the ITV daytime show, Shabana issued a plea to stop “fanning the flames of division” over the stabbing outcry from Henry Nowak’s death and the incident in Belfast last night.
A man, believed to in his 30s, has been arrested for attempted murder following the incident in the north of Belfast. The victim, in his 40s, has sustained significant injuries to his face, neck and back, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland clarified that the suspect arrested is Sudanese, not Somalian as officers initially indicated.
The PSNI has launched a “critical incident” in response to the attack. Graphic video footage is circulating online appearing to show the violent incident unfold on Kinnaird Avenue.
A police cordon at the scene of a stabbing outside apartments in the Kinnaird Avenue area of north Belfast(Image: Rebecca Black/PA Wire)
It comes after bodycam footage was released after Henry was killed in Southampton in December 2025 by Vickrum Digwa, who was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years last week.
Digwa used a ceremonial knife with a 21cm blade, which prosecutors said during the trial was a kirpan he carried as part of his Sikh religion. While he was wearing a small ceremonial kirpan knife, his second blade, described by the trial judge as “a large Sikh dagger”, was used as the murder weapon.
After Kemi Badenoch made a statement that said several horrific crimes “could have been stopped if people had intervened instead of having a fear of being called racist”.
On Loose Women, Shabana said: “I would really caution any politician from trying to stoke division in our country”, adding that it is “morally reprehensible”.
She continued: “The basic rule of policing is that you police without fear or favour, we are all equal before the law.” Referencing Nowak’s death, the Home Secretary promised: “I will make sure those findings lead to wider lessons for the police.”
With the facts of the Belfast stabbing slowly being drip-fed to the public, Shabana added that it’s important to “wait until more of the facts are established” in terms of the suspect’s identity.
Although there are fears that naming the suspect’s race could cause “community worry”, Shabana reassured: “Transparency is really important to get people to stop fanning the flames of division.” Noting that while we do have a right to protest in this country, people should “exercise it wisely”, as she continued: “There is a criminal justice response now that is needed.”
