Police condemn Belfast attack as graphic footage spreads online

Police in Belfast were confronting the fallout from a stabbing that was filmed and shared rapidly online, as the victim remained in hospital in a serious condition and officers urged the public not to spread the footage further. The Police Service of Northern Ireland said the assault, which left a man in his 40s with significant injuries to his face, neck and back, was being treated as a critical incident.

The attack happened at about 10.30pm on Monday, June 8, outside an apartment complex on Kinnaird Avenue in north Belfast, near the lower Antrim Road area. PSNI said officers were on the scene within minutes, and detectives were still working to establish the motive. A man in his 30s, whom police said was Sudanese, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

Police said the online circulation of the footage risked compounding the harm. They warned that reposting the graphic video could retraumatize those involved and could interfere with the investigation. PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the assault had sent shockwaves through the community and that police were treating it with the utmost seriousness.

Political leaders across Northern Ireland moved quickly to distance the incident from wider community tensions. Michelle O'Neill of Sinn Féin, Gavin Robinson of the Democratic Unionist Party, Naomi Long of the Alliance Party, Jon Burrows of the Ulster Unionist Party and Claire Hanna of the Social Democratic and Labour Party issued a joint statement condemning the attack. They said there was “no place in our society for this kind of brutality” and urged calm as details emerged.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer also condemned the assault, describing it as “horrific,” “sickening,” and “abhorrent.” He thanked members of the public who intervened at the scene. The response from both Stormont leaders and the UK government reflected concern that a violent incident with ethnic overtones, amplified by graphic video, could inflame tensions before the facts were fully established.

PSNI is asking anyone with witness accounts, dashcam footage or CCTV from the area to come forward. With the victim still in hospital and the online footage continuing to spread, police are trying to contain both the criminal investigation and the wider public reaction around it.