THE SUSPECT in the horror “attempted beheading” in Belfast is a Sudanese asylum seeker who crossed from Dublin into the UK.
The suspect is believed to have travelled from Sudan to Paris, and then from Paris to Dublin, on unknown dates, before taking a bus to Belfast in February 10, 2023.
PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said he then immediately claimed asylum, before he was given leave to remain in the UK on September 28, 2023.
The Sudanese man – in his 30s – has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
A man, 30, has since been charged with attempted murder, possession of an article with blade or point in a public place and threats to kill.
He is due to appear at Belfast Magistrates’ Court tomorrow.
And the victim – a man in his 30s – is in a serious condition after suffering injuries to his eyes, neck and back.
Officers were scrambled to Kinnaird Avenue in the north of Belfast at around 10.30pm yesterday after receiving reports of the knife attack.
Harrowing footage appears to show a knifeman slashing the victim’s neck and face with a blade as onlookers yell “get off”.
One appears to shout: “He’s trying to cut his head off.”
Heroic bystanders and cops stepped in to intervene, “undoubtedly” saving the victim’s life – with one passerby tackling the attacker with a hurling stick.
The vile attack has sparked fury and shock, being condemned as “sickening” and branded a “medieval mutilation” with politicians calling for answers as cops call for calm.
The Home Office has confirmed the suspect in the Belfast stabbing incident is a Sudanese national with leave to remain in the UK until 2028.
Following the stabbing on Monday night, which left a man with significant injuries to his eyes, the Home Office said the suspect had entered the UK in 2023 and was granted refugee status the same year.
He claims to have entered the UK via the Common Travel Area, they added.
First Minister Michelle O’Neill urged the public not to jump to assumptions about the Belfast stabbing suspect’s immigration status when he crossed the Irish border into Northern Ireland.
She said: “We don’t have the full picture here, so I think that’s important to say.
“I think for today the main focus of all of us, certainly collectively standing here together today, is to appeal for calm.”
O’Neill added: “My message today is one of calm and don’t allow those people that don’t care about people here to incite hatred, to incite fear.
“Don’t allow those people who are faceless to orchestrate campaigns on the streets.”
The ‘backdoor route’ into the UK
By Jack Elsom and Martina Bet
THE Belfast knifeman exploited a controversial “backdoor” route into the UK that was last night under fire.
Long-standing arrangements mean there are no immigration checks when travelling between the Republic of Ireland and the North.
Both countries are part of a Common Travel Area to ensure a frictionless border – seen as crucial to keeping the peace between nationalists and unionists.
When taking the bus from Dublin to Belfast in February 2023, the attacker would have unlikely been asked to produce any papers.
While police now conduct some spot checks following reports many migrants are using the route, most people making the journey between countries are not stopped.
Northern Ireland MP Jim Allister blasted in the Commons: “The fact that the suspect detained in relation to last night’s brutal attack came to Northern Ireland via Dublin underscores the absolute folly of not having checks on the border with the Irish Republic.”
Northern Ireland’s Justice Minister said the Common Travel Area must not be “exploited for ill purposes”.
Speaking at a press conference at Stormont following the Belfast knife attack, Naomi Long said: “I have raised the issue with the Home Office in the past around trafficking, both human trafficking and other trafficking across the border.
“But I recognise that there are challenges when you can travel freely, and what we don’t want on either side of the border is to see the Common Travel Area being exploited for ill purposes.”
Police last night said the knifeman had originally made the 2,753-mile trek from Sudan to Paris, but did not know when.
Most migrants who leave Africa cross the central Mediterranean from Libya into Italy before making their way through Europe, where checks are sparse given the Schengen free travel area.
The most common illegal migration route into Britain is then obviously to pay a smuggling gang for a small boat journey across the Channel.
But this attacker is known to have instead travelled from Paris to Dublin – either by plane or boat – which is not in the Schengen Zone and so should have had to produce documents.
Once in Belfast he immediately claimed asylum in the UK and was given a five-year visa lasting until 2028.
Home Office figures show 3,376 Sudanese nationals claimed asylum in Britain in 2023 after civil war erupted in the country.
Sudanese applicants have one of the highest success rates of any nationality. Official figures show 99 per cent of Sudanese asylum claims receiving an initial decision in 2024 were granted protection or other leave to remain.
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said the suspect should be deported if convicted.
She said the incident was “brutal, disgusting and horrific” but has called for “calm across all of our communities”.
She said: “The criminal justice process must be allowed to take place. We need a swift conviction, and on conviction, this dangerous man must be deported immediately. The safety of our communities must come first.
Reform’s Zia Yusuf said: “The horror of what you have seen in Belfast is a direct result of treacherous Tory and Labour immigration policy. Enough is enough.
Chief Boutcher 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.
“I’ve been in direct contact with the head of terrorism policing in the UK. At this stage we have no information to suggest that this was terrorist related.
“I do appreciate the nature of the attack has led to speculation it is terrorist related, however there is nothing to suggest that that is the case.”
He added that he warned people in Northern Ireland being ” influenced “from afar through social media” in the wake of the knife attack.
He said: “There will be an increased police presence across Northern Ireland this evening and in the coming days to provide help, support, and reassurance for all our communities, and to keep everybody safe.
“There is considerable posting on social media. I appeal for everyone to be mindful of what they view and share online.”
The chief added: “And I understand that last night’s attempted murder will leave people feeling enraged with emotions from fear to anger, but please, please let the PSNI, let the police do their job unfettered and undistracted by wider concerns there may be about disorder.”
Justice minister Naomi Long added: “The only people who will be harmed if there is unrest on our streets are innocent people.
“The only thing that will be achieved is further victims.”
In a tweet, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “The horrific attack in Belfast last night is sickening.
“I have absolutely no tolerance for abhorrent scenes of violence like this on our streets.
“My thoughts are first and foremost with the victim, and I thank the first responders, including members of the public who intervened.”
PSNI officers said they had recovered what is believed to be a kitchen knife at the scene of the harrowing attack.
Officers remained on the residential street today – with the area taped off as a probe into the incident got underway.
Pictures show what appears to be a bloody piece of fabric laying on the road – with yellow police evidence markers placed on the ground.
Cops in forensic suits were pictured collecting items as part of their probe.
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said: “I’m absolutely horrified. It is a horrific incident.
“I haven’t heard anything about who the attacker might have been, but I think a lot of people will start wondering yet again, is this someone who should not have been in our country? Have there been failings around our borders?
“I would urge the police to bring the facts out as quickly as possible so that we can get some clarity.”
