Britain11 June, 20263 min read
Hadi Alodid Charged With Attempted Murder After Stephen Ogilvie Knife Attack in Belfast
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Stephen Ogilvie lost his left eye and suffered deep head and back wounds. Ogilvie's condition improving; could wake from coma within 48 hours.
Knife attack sparks unrest
A knife attack in Belfast left Stephen Ogilvie with significant injuries, including the loss of one eye, and the stabbing on Monday night preceded two nights of violent disorder in Northern Ireland. Hadi Alodid, a 30-year-old Sudanese man, was charged with attempted murder over Monday night's knife attack, and Sky News said he was also charged with possessing a bladed article without good reason and making threats to kill an NHS worker. The Police Service of Northern Ireland said a kitchen knife was recovered from the scene, and Sky News reported that the stabbing happened in the Kinnaird Avenue area, close to the busy Antrim Road in north Belfast, at about 10.30pm on Monday.
“The stabbing happened in the Kinnaird Avenue area, close to the busy Antrim Road in north Belfast, at about 10.30pm on Monday.”
DUP leader Gavin Robinson said the victim’s condition was improving and he could be taken out of an induced coma within the next 48 hours, while the Irish News reported that Ogilvie could be woken from a coma within the next 48 hours. PSNI assistant chief constable Ryan Henderson warned protesters the justice system “stands ready to give long sentences,” after police were pelted with bricks and petrol bombs and 16 people were arrested.
Officials and families respond
Gavin Robinson said he met Stephen Ogilvie’s parents and that the family were “broken” after their son was attacked, while the Irish News reported that the family wanted what happened on Monday evening to not be used as an excuse for intimidation or division. Robinson said the family “hope, pray and trust that he will be released from that coma within the next 24 or 48 hours,” and he added that assessments would be made about his sight and other impacts from the atrocity. Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn told Stormont that “law and order will be coming” for those engaged in disorder, and the Irish News said Benn condemned an incident in which a nurse was chased and intimidated while on her way to work at Ulster Hospital.
Ryan Henderson told reporters the justice system “stands ready to give long sentences to those bringing disorder to our streets,” and the Independent reported that a dozen officers were injured and 16 people were arrested after police were pelted with bricks and petrol bombs. The Irish News also reported that Hadi Alodid appeared in court on Wednesday charged with attempted murder over Monday’s knife attack, and it said two people were charged after Wednesday night’s unrest.
Asylum, border, and next steps
Sky News said details of Alodid’s immigration status and how he travelled to the UK were revealed, including that he entered Northern Ireland across the intra-Irish border in February 2023 after flying to Dublin from Paris. Sky News reported that Alodid claimed asylum upon arrival and that in September 2023 he was granted leave to remain in the UK until 2028, while it also said Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn told Times Radio the fast-track asylum scheme is no longer in use. The Irish News said questions had been raised about co-operation between the UK and Irish Governments and the Northern Ireland Executive over border controls and immigration roles, and it reported that Benn, Irish Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan and Stormont Justice Minister Naomi Long spoke by phone to discuss protecting and preventing the “abuse” of.
“He entered Northern Ireland across the intra-Irish border in February 2023, having flown to Dublin from Paris.”
The Guardian described how within minutes of footage going online, a sense of “inexorability” took hold in Northern Ireland, and it said residents intervened to halt the assault but Ogilvie was seriously injured, including having lost an eye. The Guardian also reported that the fire service received 256 calls and attended 62 incidents during the unrest, while it said Northern Ireland’s crime rate fell last year by 3.3% from the previous 12 months and reached its lowest level since 1998.