A Sudanese national has been arrested in Belfast on suspicion of attempted murder after an attack on a British man, Reuters reports.
The incident took place late Monday evening in north Belfast. After footage of the attack spread on social media, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called it “appalling.”
The footage shows several passers-by trying to stop the attacker before police arrived. Police leadership said their intervention saved the victim’s life.
A 30-year-old Sudanese national has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. According to police, he is believed to have been living in the area where the attack occurred.
Police also said the man was granted permission to stay in the UK in September 2023 after applying for asylum. He arrived in Belfast in February that year by bus from Dublin, where he had previously flown in from Paris.
After the incident, anti-migrant protests broke out in the city.
The incident came amid a growing scandal in Britain over the killing of student Henry Nowak, who died at the hands of a Sikh man.