A group of men who intervened in a horror knife attack in North Belfast last night are being hailed as heroes, as a community is left “in ‘significant fear’” after the “shocking and brutal act of violence”.
A disturbing video shared on social media shows a man engaged in a horrific knife attack on his victim on Kinnaird Avenue, before being tackled by three men, one armed with a hurley, who managed to beat him away.
In the video, bystanders are heard shouting that the attacker is trying to behead the victim.
Independent councillor Paul McCusker, described the attack as “horrific and terrifying”, and told BBC that some residents witnessed the incident.
“One lady said she had to go to hospital herself because of the stress of witnessing such a brutal attack,” he said. He said “the bravery of those residents was commendable”.
“I’ve never seen an attack like this happen on the streets of north Belfast,” he added.
MP Gavin Robinson said that “Belfast has witnessed a shocking and brutal act of violence” and that the attack was “barbaric”.
“My thoughts are with the victim and their family,” the DUP MP said. “People have a right to feel safe in their community. The police should outline the facts as a matter of urgency.”
“Those responsible must face the full consequences of their actions. There can be absolutely no tolerance for such barbaric violence on our streets,” he said.
The Belfast Telegraph reported this morning that a “video posted to social media appears to show a male stabbing another man several times in the head with a knife.”
An eyewitness to the attack told the paper: “three men, one armed with a hurl, got the fella with the knife off the victim.”
Local DUP Councillor Jordan Doran said the attack was “completely unacceptable, which understandably caused significant fear and anxiety amongst local residents.
“The public will rightly expect a swift, thorough and robust investigation by the PSNI,” he added.
There has been widespread horror expressed online at the attack – and praise for those who intervened to attempt to stop the violent knife attack.
Sinn Féin MP John Finucane said “there is no place for violence of any kind in our communities” and called on anyone with “information to come forward to the PSNI immediately so a full investigation can be carried out.”
A spokesperson for PSNI said: “Police in north Belfast are currently in attendance at Kinnaird Avenue following the report of a stabbing incident shortly after 10.30pm on Monday 8th June.
“A man has been arrested in relation to the incident and is in police custody while a second man has been taken to hospital with serious injuries.
“Officers will remain in the area to conduct their enquiries and would ask anyone who witnessed this incident, or who may have captured dash-cam or CCTV footage from the area which could help with their investigation, to call them at Tennent Street on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference number 1654 08/06/26.”
But the authorities are being accused of downplaying the horrific attack by describing it as a “stabbing incident” with one British MP, Rupert Lowe, saying: “I am calling on the police to urgently release the details of what happened yesterday on the streets of north Belfast. Urgently.”
And Independent Councillor for Lisburn Gary Hynds said: “Reports from the scene are deeply disturbing and people are rightly horrified and demanding answers. The public have every right to know who carried this out, how they were here, and whether warning signs were missed.”