Protesters have set fire to a bus in Belfast as disorder flared at an anti-immigration demonstration organised in response to Monday night’s stabbing attack in the city.
Masked males set commercial bins alight and pushed them into the Glider bus on the Newtownards Road in the east of the city on Tuesday evening.
It came as a large crowd gathered in the area for a scheduled anti-immigration protest.
Demonstrations are taking place in areas across Northern Ireland following Monday night’s incident. Multiple roads have been blocked by groups of masked protesters.
Earlier, a man arrested on suspicion of the Belfast knife attack was charged with attempted murder.
The 30-year-old accused, who is Sudanese, is also charged with possession of an article with a blade or point in a public place and making threats to kill.
He is due to appear at Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
In Northern Ireland, the authorities do not release the name of accused persons before they appear in court.
The victim of the attack, a man aged in his 40s, remained in a serious condition in hospital on Tuesday receiving treatment for serious eye, face and back wounds.
There has been widespread condemnation of Monday night’s knife assault.
Police commanders and political leaders had appealed for calm amid concern the planned anti-immigration protests would turn violent.
Detectives have said there is no indication Monday’s knife attack was terror-related.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland has launched a “critical incident” in response to the incident which was captured on video and appears to show a man stabbing at the victim’s head and neck while he was lying on the ground.
The clip shows people, including one with a hurling stick, intervening to stop the man attacking the victim in the Kinnaird Avenue residential area close to the busy Antrim Road in north Belfast.
A kitchen knife was recovered from the scene.
Earlier on Tuesday, police revealed details on the arrested man’s immigration status and how he travelled to the UK.
He entered Northern Ireland across the Irish border in February 2023 having flown to Dublin from Paris.
He claimed asylum upon arrival and in September 2023 was granted leave to remain in the UK until 2028.
PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher briefed reporters on the status of the investigation as he appeared alongside Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill, deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly and Justice Minister Naomi Long at a press conference at Stormont on Tuesday afternoon.
Commenting on the prospect of disorder, the police chief warned people against being influenced “from afar through social media”.
“I understand that last night’s attempted murder will leave people feeling enraged with emotions from fear to anger, but please, please let the PSNI, let the police do their job unfettered and undistracted by wider concerns there may be about disorder,” he said.
UK prime minister Keir Starmer condemned the knife attack.
“The horrific attack in Belfast last night is sickening,” he said.
“I have absolutely no tolerance for abhorrent scenes of violence like this on our streets.
“My thoughts are first and foremost with the victim, and I thank the first responders, including members of the public who intervened.”
Later, the leaders of the five largest parties at Stormont issued a joint statement in response to the attack.
Sinn Féin vice president Ms O’Neill, DUP leader Gavin Robinson, Alliance Party leader Ms Long, UUP leader Jon Burrows and SDLP leader Claire Hanna said they were “united in our condemnation of the horrific incident in North Belfast last night”.
The political leaders urged anyone with information that could help the police investigation to assist detectives.
They also issued an appeal for calm.
The scene outside an apartment complex off Kinnaird Avenue remained cordoned off on Tuesday, with markers visible on the ground where the attack had taken place.
