Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn has confirmed that 200 additional police officers from across the United Kingdom will deploy to Northern Ireland after two nights of disorder in Belfast. The mutual aid contingent includes around 90 officers from Police Scotland, with five of them at inspector rank according to the Scottish Police Federation. The reinforcements are intended to help restore order and protect ethnic minorities who have been targeted during the unrest.

The violence followed a knife attack in Belfast earlier this week. Hadi Alodid, a Sudanese national, has been charged with the attempted murder of Stephen Ogilvy. A court in the city heard that the victim lost his left eye, sustained damage to his right eye, and suffered injuries to his neck and back. Alodid, who entered the United Kingdom in 2023 and was granted refugee status according to the Home Office, was remanded in custody.

On Tuesday evening, disorder broke out in Belfast, with houses and cars set on fire. Unrest continued on Wednesday night, when police deployed a water cannon to disperse a large crowd gathered at the Sandyknowes roundabout in Glengormley, approximately eight miles northwest of the city centre. Twelve police officers were injured during the second night of rioting and sixteen people were arrested.

The family of Stephen Ogilvy issued a statement saying they did not want the tragic incident to be used to divide communities or fuel hostility.

The disturbances in Northern Ireland occurred alongside protests elsewhere in the United Kingdom. In Greenock, Scotland, two men were arrested and three police officers injured during a demonstration outside a hotel housing asylum seekers. Items were thrown at officers and two police vehicles were damaged. Police Scotland said the men were given fixed penalty notices for anti-social behaviour.