Starmer Calls for Calm Amid Stabbing Tied to Immigration

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office called for calm Tuesday after police said they arrested a Sudanese suspect over a stabbing in residential Belfast in Northern Ireland that drew national attention because of graphic videos of the attack shared online. Police said the victim, a man in his 40s, was taken to the hospital with serious injuries to his eyes, face, and back late Monday. The suspect, who is in his 30s, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in police custody, reports the AP. A kitchen knife was found at the scene. Police were trying to determine the motive, but there was no information to suggest the attack was terrorism-related, said Ryan Henderson, assistant chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland. He added that police were not seeking other suspects. "This brutal attack will have sent shock waves through the community," he said.

Gavin Robinson, the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, told Parliament that the perpetrator was living in the UK under a five-year visa and urged authorities to curb "uncontrolled immigration." Police believe the suspect had been granted permission to remain in the country, and that he lived near the scene of the crime, Henderson said. He declined to provide more details citing the ongoing investigation. When pressed on the question in Parliament, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said he could not confirm whether the alleged attacker came to the UK illegally.

Starmer condemned the attack as "sickening" and said that he had "no tolerance for abhorrent scenes of violence like this on our streets." His office said "it is time for calm," adding "it's important that police have the time and space to investigate appropriately." Police and senior politicians urged people not to share graphic images of the attack that were circulating online, or to spread disinformation. Last week, the country was roiled by the conviction in a separate case, that of university student Henry Nowak, who was stabbed to death in Southampton in December. The murder was seized on by activists and US Vice President JD Vance, who blamed immigration for the violence.