The man charged with attempted murder after a knife attack in north Belfast had been granted asylum under a streamlined UK process that required only a questionnaire instead of a face-to-face interview.

Sudanese national Hadi Alodid, 30, is accused of trying to kill Stephen Ogilvie. Alodid travelled from Sudan to Paris, then to Dublin, before boarding a bus to Belfast in February 2023. He was later given refugee status and five years leave to remain in the UK until 2028.

The fast-track procedure was introduced under former prime minister Rishi Sunak to reduce a backlog of asylum claims. Alodid completed a Home Office questionnaire rather than an in-person interview due to the security and humanitarian situation in Sudan at the time.

DUP leader Gavin Robinson said after meeting Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn that current border arrangements "are not commanding public confidence". He noted that only one asylum seeker has been returned from the UK to the Republic of Ireland since post-Brexit returns arrangements began. Robinson called for clear practical steps to tackle abuse of the border.

Ulster Unionist MP Robin Swann said the Irish government had been "unwilling or unable" to police its side of the border, and urged a British-Irish Council meeting. TUV leader Jim Allister claimed the Republic checks travellers arriving from Northern Ireland but the UK does not reciprocate, leaving Northern Ireland a destination for illegal migrants. Allister also asked whether Alodid had claimed asylum in the Republic before entering the UK.

Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said there were questions to answer about vetting, immigration policy, and how checks are carried out when people arrive at Dublin airport.

On Wednesday, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn, Irish Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan and Stormont Justice Minister Naomi Long discussed the Common Travel Area by phone. Ireland’s Department of Justice said O’Callaghan highlighted significant border management operations at Dublin Airport and noted that the number of people arriving without documentation had reduced considerably since 2023.

The UK government has briefed that it will intensify immigration enforcement. Nearly 1,000 illegal migrants were removed from the UK in the past year, and the number of asylum seekers in supported accommodation in Northern Ireland fell from 2,530 in June 2024 to 2,379 in March 2026.

A multi-agency operation targeting abuse of the Common Travel Area, Operation Comby, has led to 250 arrests of organised criminals and immigration offenders, plus the seizure of over £435,000 in criminal cash. Officers provide 24/7 coverage at sea ports, airports, roads and rail networks to catch people circumventing immigration laws.