A 30-year-old man has been remanded in custody charged with attempted murder following a knife attack in north Belfast that left a 44-year-old man with serious injuries, including the loss of an eye. Hadi Alodid, a Sudanese national, appeared before Belfast Magistrates Court on Wednesday and will next appear on July 8.

The incident occurred on Monday night on Kinnaird Avenue. The victim, Stephen Ogilvie, remains in a serious condition in hospital. His family issued a statement saying they were devastated and that their priority was being at his bedside.

The UK Home Office confirmed that Mr Alodid first arrived in Northern Ireland in 2023 and had leave to remain in the UK until 2028. PSNI chief constable Jon Boutcher said the suspect flew from Paris to Dublin, then travelled by bus to Belfast on 10 February 2023, where he claimed UK asylum.

DUP MP Gregory Campbell said the Irish government bore some responsibility as the suspect had entered the country via Dublin and then moved to Northern Ireland unrestricted. He called for closer cooperation between London and Dublin on immigration and for better scrutiny of people arriving from North Africa and the Middle East.

The stabbing prompted large protests in Belfast on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, during which homes and cars were set alight. Mr Ogilvie’s family later expressed disgust at the violence and said they supported only peaceful protest. They added that migrants make a valuable contribution to Northern Ireland, including in healthcare and hospitality, and that they did not want the tragedy used to divide people.