Belfast stabbing suspect arrested, Starmer appeals for calm after ‘brutal’ attack – National
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office called for silence on Tuesday after police said they had arrested a Sudanese suspect in connection with a stabbing at a residence in Belfast, Northern Ireland, which drew national attention because of graphic videos of the attack shared online.
Police said the victim, a 40-year-old man, was taken to hospital with serious injuries to his eyes, face and back on Monday. They said the 30-year-old suspect was arrested for attempted murder and is still in police custody. A kitchen knife was found at the scene.
Police were trying to establish a motive, but there was no evidence that the attack was terrorism-related, said Ryan Henderson, assistant chief constable of Northern Ireland. He went on to say that the police are not looking for anyone connected to this attack.
“This brutal attack will have scared the public, which has caused real concern,” he said.
Gavin Robinson, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, told Parliament that the perpetrator was living in the UK under a five-year visa and urged the administration to stop “uncontrolled immigration.”
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Police believe the suspect was granted permanent residency in the country, and lived near the scene of the crime, Henderson said. He declined to provide further details citing the ongoing investigation.
When pressed for a question in Parliament, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said she could not confirm that the suspect was coming to the UK illegally.
Starmer condemned the attack as “sickening” and said he “cannot tolerate scenes of despicable violence like this on our streets.”
His office said it was “time to calm down,” adding that “it is important that the police have the time and space to properly investigate.”
Police and senior politicians have urged people not to share graphic images of the attack that have been circulating online, or spread misinformation about the situation.
Last week, a separate case involving a university student who was stabbed to death in Southampton, England in December was picked up by activists and US Vice President JD Vance who blamed immigrants for the violence.
Henry Nowak, who was white, was killed by Vickrum Digwa, a Sikh who lied to the police that he was the victim of a racial attack by Nowak. When the police arrived, they initially treated the injured Nowak as a suspect before seeing his injuries and trying to help him.
Digwa was convicted of murdering Nowak by stabbing him with a Sikh sword and was sentenced to life in prison last week with a minimum of 21 years. But the case has sparked heated debates about policing and race, and protests over Nowak’s death turned violent as police attacked them with chairs and rocks. A number of people have been charged with violence in the protest.
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