Belfast stabbing suspect named and appears in court for attempted murder

A Glider bus set on fire by protesters on the Newtownards Road in east Belfast as disorder flared during an anti-immigration demonstration (Picture: PA)
The suspect in the Belfast ‘knife attack’ which sparked a night of violent disorder across the city has been named for the first time.

Hadi Alodid, 30, has appeared at Belfast Magistrates’ Court charged with the attempted murder of Stephen Ogilvie after Monday’s stabbing.

He is also charged with making threats to kill an NHS radiographer on the same day and possession of a knife.

The victim, Mr Ogilvie, lost his left eye in the attack and remains in a serious condition in hospital.

Alodid refused legal representation and made no reply to charges which were put put to him through an Arabic interpreter.

He was remanded in custody.

Riots erupted on Tuesday night in Belfast after calls to protest from far-right accounts circulated on social media.

Houses and cars were set on fire, as was a Gilder bus in the east of the city, prompting public transport services to be suspended.

A man is guided to safety by a PSNI officer after being rescued from houses which caught fire in Lendrick Street in east Belfast (Picture: PA)

Demonstrations were called in reaction to what police called a ‘brutal’ knife attack (Picture: Getty)
In Lendrick Street, several cars were set alight and Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) officers had to remove some residents from houses after they caught fire.

Several houses and vehicles were set on fire near the Ligoniel Road area of Belfast, and a police car was set alight in Portadown.

An NIFRS spokesperson said it had been a ‘busy evening responding to a high volume of fire calls’.

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The spokesperson added: ‘Between 7pm and midnight, our Regional Control Centre have managed 256 calls resulting in attendance at 62 incidents.

‘The majority of these incidents were in the Greater Belfast Area where an additional 21 fire appliances from across Northern Ireland were required to meet demand.’

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said officers had worked alongside partner agencies ‘responding to incidents as they arise and helping to keep people safe’.

Disorder flared during an anti-immigration demonstration organised in response to Monday night’s stabbing attack in the city (Picture: PA)
Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill condemned the ‘outright thuggery’ in the city, adding: ‘Groups of masked men burning families out of their homes is nothing less than disgusting cowardice.’

Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said: ‘Taking frustration at the evil actions of a person out on those who had no part in it is utterly wrong.’

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said: ‘The scenes of disorder we have witnessed in some parts of Northern Ireland this evening are only damaging communities and putting innocent lives at risk.

‘There is no justification at all for this type of destruction and thuggery.’

The PSNI has launched a ‘critical incident’ in response to the incident. Detectives have said there is no indication Monday’s knife attack was terror-related.

Footage of the incident 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.

The suspect 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.

SOURCES: Belfast stabbing suspect named and appears in court for attempted murder | News UK | Metro News