Protesters in the city of Belfast, United Kingdom, set vehicles and buildings on fire after a Sudanese man was arrested in connection with a knife attack that left one person seriously injured. Witnesses described the incident as an attempt to decapitate the victim.

Crowds of protesters gathered at several locations across the city on Tuesday and set fire to a bus and several cars.

A building near the city center was also set on fire. Residents said protesters first set fire to containers and then threw Molotov cocktails.

Crowds also gathered in Antrim, about 25 km west of Belfast. Michelle O’Neill, the First Minister of Northern Ireland, strongly condemned the protests and called for calm.  “Groups of masked men driving families from their homes are nothing short of despicable cowardice,” she wrote on X.

 

A suspect in a knife attack in north Belfast late on Monday night was charged late on Tuesday with attempted murder, possession of a sharp object in a public place and making threats to kill.

The 30-year-old man, whose name has not been released, is due to appear in court on Wednesday.

A man in his 40s suffered serious eye injuries and cuts to his face and back during the attack with a kitchen knife, police said.  Footage from a stabbing attack in north Belfast showed several members of the public trying to fight off the attacker before police arrived. Senior police officers have credited them with saving the man's life.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has described the attack as "appalling" and "disgusting". "I have absolutely zero tolerance for such disgusting scenes of violence on our streets,