The family of Stephen Ogilvie, the NHS radiographer who lost his left eye in Monday night’s knife attack in Belfast, have broken their silence to condemn the riots that followed and urge calm — as the Sudanese man charged with his attempted murder appeared in court and told a medic after the attack “I will kill you.”
In their first public statement, provided to local politicians, the Ogilvie family said they were “completely devastated by the horrific attack” and made clear they did not want the violence done to their relative used to divide communities or fuel hostility. “We are aware of the tensions and talk of protests following this incident. We want to make it absolutely clear that overnight unrest is not welcome, and peaceful protest is the only way forward,” the statement read.
The family paid tribute to the bystanders whose intervention police said saved Mr Ogilvie’s life. “Your quick actions absolutely saved his life and we will never forget what you did for him in that moment.” They also thanked emergency services and hospital staff. Addressing the broader immigration debate that has erupted since the attack, the family said: “We have many migrants who make a deeply valuable contribution to our country, including in our healthcare system and hospitality sector and we depend on them to make our country work. We do not want this terrible tragedy to be used to divide people or fuel hostility.”
Mr Ogilvie, understood to be originally from Scotland, had been living in the same block of flats as his attacker. He remains in hospital with serious injuries after losing his left eye in the assault.
Hadi Alodid, 30, appeared at Belfast Magistrates’ Court via video link this morning, charged with attempted murder, possession of a knife and making threats to kill an NHS radiographer. He refused a lawyer, made no reply to the charges — which were put to him through an Arabic interpreter — and was remanded in custody for four weeks. The court heard that following the attack, Alodid told medical staff while being treated for a hand injury: “I’ve killed someone, I don’t know if they are dead,” before threatening a medic with the words “I will kill you.”
A detective told the court Alodid was of “unpredictable” nature and that releasing him would risk “significant public disorder” due to the “strong public feeling” surrounding the incident. District Judge Stephen Keown refused bail, saying the risks were “far too great” and would be “unmanageable by any bail conditions.”
The court heard that Alodid had flown from Paris to Dublin in February 2023, crossed into Northern Ireland across the Irish border and claimed asylum immediately upon arrival in Belfast. He was granted leave to remain in the UK until 2028 in September 2023.
Despite police appeals for calm, rioters took to the streets just before 8pm on Tuesday, with masked men in black pushing burning bins against a bus and setting it alight. Houses, cars and a Middle Eastern supermarket were also set ablaze. Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill condemned the disorder as “outright thuggery,” saying groups of masked men “burning families out of their homes is nothing less than disgusting cowardice.” Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the scenes were “shocking and completely unacceptable,” adding: “It is clear that people were targeted last night because of their background and I will not tolerate it. Those responsible will feel the full force of the law.”
