Twelve police officers were injured and 16 people were arrested during a second night of unrest in Northern Ireland on Wednesday. The disorder was concentrated near the Sandyknowes roundabout in Glengormley, outside Belfast, where police used water cannon to disperse crowds.

Rioters threw bricks, bottles, and petrol bombs at officers, set alight wheelie bins, and broke into a Department for Infrastructure depot, torching a vehicle. The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service received 82 emergency calls and attended 33 incidents, including vehicle, house, and derelict building fires. In Portadown, an individual set himself on fire while attempting to throw a petrol bomb. In Derry, items were set alight on the Ardmore Road.

The violence followed a knife attack on Monday night in north Belfast. Stephen Ogilvie, aged 44, sustained serious injuries including the loss of an eye and wounds to his neck and back. Hadi Alodid, a 30-year-old Sudanese national, appeared at Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday charged with attempted murder, threats to kill an NHS radiographer, and possession of a knife. He was remanded in custody for four weeks.

Mr Ogilvie’s family issued a statement expressing their disgust at the disorder and appealing for peaceful protest only. They stressed that migrants make a valuable contribution to the country and that the attack should not be used to divide communities.

Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn described the scenes as racially motivated and announced that 200 mutual aid officers from other UK forces would assist the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins condemned the destruction as disgraceful and disgusting. A district judge warned that anyone planning further unrest should expect to go to prison.

A nurse was chased by masked individuals on her way to work at the Ulster Hospital, the South Eastern Trust said. The Royal College of Nursing reported that some international staff were afraid to leave their homes. Public transport was suspended on Wednesday evening as a precaution.

On Tuesday, the first night of disorder, mobs set homes, a bus, and cars on fire in Belfast, leaving 27 people homeless. Individuals were targeted because of their ethnicity. Peaceful protests also took place at Stormont, in Newtownards, and in Coleraine.

The PSNI released images of people they want to identify in connection with Tuesday’s disorder and urged those in the photographs to come forward. An 18-year-old man was arrested in Carrickfergus on suspicion of riot after two officers were injured by a petrol bomb.