Members of the public who intervened in a stabbing attack in Belfast have been praised as “the very best of humanity”.
Footage on social media shows people, including one with a hurling stick, attempting to stop a man while he was attacking his victim in the residential area close to the busy Antrim Road in north Belfast on Monday night.
A man has since been charged with attempted murder by Northern Ireland Police, and will appear at Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
Addressing the Commons on the investigation into the attack, Northern Ireland secretary Hilary Benn thanked the bystanders who tried to stop the attack.
“Amidst the horror of what happened, we also saw something extraordinary,” he said. “When confronted with scenes of terrifying violence, members of the public did not walk on by.
You can read all the latest updates on the investigation here
“Instead, a number of them stepped forward and, at immense risk to their own safety, they intervened to pull the assailant away and protect the victim until the police arrived.
“To those individuals, I would like to say this – you showed the very best of humanity and you have the profound gratitude of this entire House.”
The victim, in his forties, is in a serious condition and has been left with significant injuries to his face, neck and back, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said.
The force has launched a “critical incident” in response to the attack which has prompted widespread condemnation and expressions of concern across the political spectrum in Northern Ireland and beyond.
Other MPs followed Mr Benn in praising those who had intervened.
Local MP John Finucane said they had shown “extraordinary courage” and may have saved the life of the victim.
“They showed extraordinary courage and bravery to step in, to put themselves in danger to save, I think possibly, a man’s life because of their selfless acts, and I want, on behalf of everybody I’m sure, to thank them for that,” he said, while visiting the scene.
Mr Finucane said his thoughts first and foremost are with the victim, and his family and friends, but also with residents who witnessed what happened, police who came upon a horrific scene, and first responders from the Ambulance Service.
He characterised the area as a quiet residential one inhabited by families, a “very normal part of Belfast”, where people woke on Tuesday to find “something so horrific had taken place on their doorstep”.
“It was absolutely shocking for them, they are now witnesses in a live police investigation into an attempted murder,” he said.
“There were people returning from work, there were people who happened to pass by, there were those who intervened, and they are quite naturally traumatised and upset.
“They find themselves, in a fairly quiet neighbourhood, now the focus of both local and international media attention.
“They will need all of the support that they can get in the time ahead, and they need to be free to provide their evidence to the police, so police have the strongest evidence to ensure that somebody is charged, brought before our courts and feels the full weight of our criminal justice process.”
Meanwhile, Mr Benn also appealed for calm and for the criminal process to take place.
DUP leader Gavin Robinson suggested that the alleged perpetrator was in the UK under a five-year visa, but the cabinet minister said he could not currently confirm the immigration status of the suspected attacker.
The leaders of the five largest parties at Stormont issued a joint statement in response to the attack.
Sinn Féin vice president and Stormont first minister Michelle O’Neill, DUP leader Gavin Robinson, Alliance Party leader Naomi Long, UUP leader Jon Burrows and SDLP leader Claire Hanna said they were “united in our condemnation of the horrific incident in North Belfast last night”.
“There is no place in our society for this kind of brutality,” they said.
“Our immediate thoughts are with the victim and his family, and we hope he makes a full and complete recovery. Our thoughts are also with those eyewitnesses to the incident, as well as those brave members of the public who intervened.
“We recognise the distress and fear this incident will cause within the local community. We urge people not to share the deeply disturbing images or videos, as their graphic nature would only serve to retraumatise those involved.”
Condemning the incident, Sir Keir said: “The horrific attack in Belfast last night is sickening.
“I have absolutely no tolerance for abhorrent scenes of violence like this on our streets. My thoughts are first and foremost with the victim, and I thank the first responders, including members of the public who intervened.”
