BELFAST, June 9 (Reuters) – Police in Northern Ireland said on Tuesday they had arrested a man, believed to be from Somalia, over a knife attack which left one person in a serious condition and sparked calls online for a protest after footage circulated on social media.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the incident as “sickening” after video of the attack, which took place in north Belfast late on Monday evening, was shared widely online.
Northern Ireland’s Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly urged people to stay calm. “My thoughts and prayers are first and foremost with the victim of this savage and barbaric attack,” she said in a post on X.
Police said in a statement on Tuesday the arrested man, in his 30s, is believed to be Somali. The injured man, in his 40s, is in a serious condition in hospital.
A widely shared post on Facebook and WhatsApp called for protests on Monday evening.
“This is a deeply concerning assault and I have declared this a critical incident,” Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said. “We have commenced an investigation to establish a motive.”
“We are also aware of footage circulating online and we would strongly urge members of the public not to share or repost these images. Doing so risks causing further trauma to the injured man’s loved ones and may impact the ongoing investigation.”
(Reporting by Amanda Ferguson in Belfast and Conor Humphries in Dublin; Editing by Kate Holton)
Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.
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