Homes and cars torched as violence erupts across Belfast after knife attack

Police have urged residents and protesters to remain calm.

Multiple homes across Belfast were set on fire, while firefighters were battling to get the flames under control.

Violent disorder broke out following a brutal and "sickening" knife attack in the city on Monday night.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of the attack and has since been charged with attempted murder.

The 30-year-old man of Sudanese descent is also charged with possession of an article with a blade or point in a public place and making threats to kill. The accused is due to appear at Belfast Magistrates' Court today (Wednesday 10 June).

The victim, believed to be a man in his 40s, remained in a serious condition in hospital on Tuesday, where he is being treated for injuries to his eye, face and back.

Footage circulating widely online showed a group of people, including a man armed with a hurling stick, confronting the attacker before police arrived.

Following the attack, protestors took to the streets of Belfast, however, things quickly turned violent.

Images from Lendrick Street showed several properties and vehicles ablaze, with police and fire crews at the scene.

A resident who lives on the street told The Mirror: "Cars were set alight on the road, which caught fire to my house, but masked men were bashing down doors."

It is understood that a bus was also set alight in the city, while protesters threw objects, including traffic cones, at police.

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said in a statement it had responded to 62 incidents on Tuesday evening.

"The majority of these incidents were in the Greater Belfast Area, where an additional 21 fire appliances from across Northern Ireland were required to meet demand," the NIFRS said.

The police have called for residents and protestors to remain calm.

Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill described the violent scenes as ‘outright thuggery’.

“Groups of masked men burning families out of their homes is nothing less than disgusting cowardice,” she wrote on X.

“This has nothing to do with community.

“This is outright thuggery.

“The attack in North Belfast was heinous and wrong. But there are dangerous attempts to exploit that to target and attack innocent people who are simply trying to live, work and raise their families here.

“Racism, intimidation and violence are wrong wherever they occur. There can be no excuse and no justification for these attacks tonight.

“No one wants to see this on our streets, and I again appeal for calm.”

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said: “Sporadic pockets of disorder have broken out in several locations across Northern Ireland this evening, including incidents in which several vehicles have been set on fire.

“We are urging everyone to remain calm, act responsibly, and avoid any activity that could place themselves or others at risk.

“Officers are on the ground, working alongside partner agencies, responding to incidents as they arise and helping to keep people safe.

“We are again appealing for calm and ask all voices of influence within local communities to encourage peaceful protest and discourage any involvement in violence or disorder.”

Northern Ireland’s Justice Minister Naomi Long said calls for calm had been ignored by some.

She said: “They are intent on wreaking destruction on the very communities they claim they are trying to protect.

“They are weaponising the genuine hurt, concern and anger that people are feeling for their own misguided purposes.

“There is no place for masked thugs to take to the streets and threaten, intimidate, disrupt and cause wanton damage – it is simply disingenuous to claim this is being carried out for the good of Northern Ireland.”

She added: “I would appeal once again to communities not to allow themselves to be used and abused in this manner.

“Disorder on the streets, such as we are seeing tonight, is diverting valuable police resources away from those who genuinely need them.

“These are not the actions of people who genuinely care about their communities.

“While I recognise and understand the concerns following on from the attack in north Belfast, hate cannot be allowed to win.”