A Sudanese man named as Hadi Alodid has been charged over a knife attack in Northern Ireland that left one person in a serious condition in Belfast.
The 30-year-old appeared at Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday morning charged with the attempted murder of Stephen Ogilvie, who lost his left eye, and sustained deep cuts to his head, face and back during the alleged attack on Monday, police said.
He was also charged with threatening to kill an NHS radiographer on the same day and with the possession of a knife.
Footage circulating online showed members of the public trying to fight off the attacker before police arrived on the scene late on Monday, recovering what they believe is a kitchen knife.
Authorities have urged the public to remain calm and allow the police to do their jobs after violent protests turned ugly on Tuesday night, with homes and cars torched, amid heightened tensions in the UK over immigration.
Sir Keir Starmer condemned the “unacceptable” riots, saying “people were targeted last night because of their background and I will not tolerate it”.
Here is what we know about the man who has been charged as police investigate the stabbing:
Who is the suspect and where is he from?
Hadi Alodid, a 30-year-old Sudanese national who lived in Duncairn Avenue in Belfast, was named in court as the man charged with attempted murder after the attack.
A detective told Belfast Magistrates’ Court argued he should not be released on bail due to fears it would lead to “significant public disorder” due to “strong public feeling” about the incident.
Police said they “strongly” opposed bail on the grounds that Alodid is charged with an “extremely serious offence” that has “garnered serious media attention”.
The detective said if further offences were committed they would be “serious and unpredictable in nature”, and said the applicant is from Sudan and has links outside of the jurisdiction.
He was remanded in custody for four weeks following the hearing.
Authorities are not looking for anybody else in connection with the case at this time, assistant chief constable Ryan Henderson said at a press conference on Tuesday.
Police initially reported that the suspect was believed to be of a Somali background.
The Home Office later said the man arrested is a Sudanese national with leave to remain in the United Kingdom until 2028.
“The individual claims to have entered the UK via the Common Travel Area”, a spokesperson said.
How did he arrive in Northern Ireland?
Police believe the suspect travelled from Sudan to Paris some years ago before making his way on to Dublin in the Republic of Ireland and later reaching Belfast in Northern Ireland.
The man arrived in the UK in 2023 and was granted refugee status later that year, the Home Office said, adding that there is no record of him being in the country prior to that year.
Chief constable Jon Boutcher said the man was believed to have been granted leave to remain in the UK on 28 September, 2023.
Mr Boutcher said police were working from the understanding that the man made his way from Sudan to Paris, at dates unknown, before flying on to Dublin, also at a date to be confirmed.
“From my current understanding, he then travelled from Dublin to Belfast by bus on February 10 of 2023 and claimed asylum on that date,” he added.
“There is no trace of this suspect on any of our national security databases, and he was not known to the Police Service of Northern Ireland.”
