A man has been seriously injured in what appears, based on video footage circulating on social media, to have been an attempted beheading in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Monday night, 8 June.
The incident was reported shortly after 10.30pm on Kinnaird Avenue in north Belfast, where officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) responded to what was initially reported as a stabbing.
However, footage circulating online suggests the incident may have involved far more than a conventional stabbing. Several videos shared on social media appear to show a black male suspect—whom some accounts on X have identified as an African migrant, although police have not released any information regarding the suspect’s identity, nationality, or immigration status—kneeling on the victim while shouting in an unidentified language before attempting to inflict fatal injuries to the victim’s neck.
The incident was recorded by bystanders, some of whom also attempted to intervene. According to additional footage, police officers were already present when the alleged attempted beheading began and, with assistance from members of the public, managed to subdue and arrest the suspect.
The victim was taken to hospital with serious injuries. Police have confirmed that a man has been arrested in connection with the incident.
DUP councillor Jordan Doran said local residents had been shocked by the level of violence involved. He added that the public would expect a ‘swift, thorough and robust’ police investigation into the circumstances of the attack.
The PSNI has appealed for witnesses and asked anyone with footage of the incident to come forward.
Unconfirmed reports circulating on social media have claimed that the victim later died from his injuries and suffered catastrophic facial injuries during the attack. However, these claims have not been verified by police or any official source.
The case has already sparked outrage and political reactions amid already intense tensions in the United Kingdom.
Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe wrote to Prime Minister Keir Starmer urging the government to release the nationality, immigration status, and religion of the suspect. ‘The British people need to know the full truth,’ he wrote.
In a separate post, Lowe argued that under a Restore Britain government, a migrant who came to the country and attempted to ‘saw a man’s head off in the street’ would face the death penalty. He further stated that ‘third-world migrants who hate our way of life will be removed from our country,’ concluding with a call for mass deportations.
UPDATE:
According to a statement issued by the PSNI on 9 June, the suspect is a Somali man in his thirties who has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. His immigration status has not yet been disclosed.
The victim remains in hospital fighting for his life. ‘The injured man, aged in his 40s, is in hospital where his condition is described as serious. The attack has left the man with significant injuries to his face, neck and back,’ the PSNI stated.
17:03
In a subsequent update issued later on 9 June, the PSNI corrected its earlier statement and confirmed that the suspect is in fact a Sudanese national, not Somali as initially reported. Police said the man, who remains in custody on suspicion of attempted murder, had previously been granted leave to remain in the United Kingdom after arriving in Northern Ireland from Dublin. Authorities stressed that the investigation remains at an early stage and that a motive has not yet been established.
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