A Sudanese man has been arrested over a knife attack in Belfast that left a man seriously injured and prompted calls online for a protest after footage of the incident circulated widely on social media.
Police in Northern Ireland said the attack took place in north Belfast late on Monday evening. The victim, a man in his 40s, remained in a serious condition in hospital on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the attack as "sickening" after video footage of the incident was widely shared online.
"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."
A widely shared post on Facebook and WhatsApp called for protests on Tuesday evening.
The attack comes at a time of heightened tensions in Britain following the murder of a student who was handcuffed by police as he lay dying from stab wounds after his killer, a Sikh man, falsely alleged a racist attack.
During a debate in the British Parliament in London, some lawmakers called for greater transparency about the Belfast suspect's background, arguing that a lack of confirmed information risked fuelling speculation online and inflaming tensions over immigration.
Northern Ireland's main political party leaders jointly condemned the attack, describing it as "horrific" and urging calm while expressing support for the police investigation.
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly earlier described the incident as a "savage and barbaric attack".
Police said the suspect was a 30-year-old Sudanese national. The force corrected an earlier statement that had said the man was believed to be Somali and warned that inaccurate information was continuing to circulate online about both the suspect and the victim's condition.
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