A 30-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder following the horrific knife attack in north Belfast that left a man fighting for his life — as authorities issued urgent calls for calm amid fears of far-right disorder on the streets tonight, and a fundraiser for a bystander hero topped £2,600 in a matter of hours.
The suspect will appear before a Belfast court tomorrow, the Police Service of Northern Ireland confirmed. The charge comes less than 24 hours after the attack on Kinnaird Avenue, in which bystanders — including a man who wielded a hurling stick to help overpower the attacker — intervened before police arrived to prevent what witnesses described as an attempted beheading.
The man identified as having confronted the attacker with the hurling stick, Maitie Mag Toghearnan, has become the focus of an outpouring of public gratitude. Supporters have launched a GoFundMe campaign to buy him a pint “for his incredible bravery and courage,” with the fundraiser raising £2,666 — enough for 555 pints of Guinness at average Belfast prices, according to beer blog Cask Theory — within hours of going live.
With tensions running high and concerns mounting about potential disorder in Belfast tonight, politicians and community figures have urged the public to hold firm against those seeking to exploit the attack. Belfast councillor Carl Whyte, of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, addressed the situation directly, saying: “We have to remember we’re not a racist place. We have to not let ourselves be influenced by far-right agitators who, as soon as trouble begins and you find yourself arrested by the police, they’ve run for the hills and they’re nowhere to be seen.”
Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn described the attack as “horrific and brutal” and paid tribute to the bystanders who stepped in. He made a direct appeal for calm, telling broadcasters: “The most important thing all of us can do is to appeal for calm, and we let the police do their job. Everybody has the right to protest peacefully. That’s a fundamental part of our tradition as a country. But nobody has a right to engage in disorder and violence.”
Benn also addressed frustration over the Home Office’s handling of questions about the suspect’s immigration status, saying the process needed to be followed and facts had to be checked before information was released. “The confusion over the nationality of the individual reinforces the point that I was making to the House of Commons earlier,” he said.
