Last night’s attack in North Belfast was pretty gruesome, even for a society like ours hardened by the troubles. The PSNI issued this statement:
Man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following a serious assault in north Belfast
A man in his 30s, believed to be Somalian, has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following a serious assault involving a knife in the Kinnaird Avenue area of north Belfast on Monday night, 8th June, shortly after 10.30pm.
He remains in police custody. 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.
Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said: “This is a deeply concerning assault and I have declared this a critical incident. We have commenced an investigation to establish a motive.
“This brutal attack will have sent shockwaves through the community causing real concern. I want to reassure the local community that we are treating this attack with the utmost seriousness. Our investigation is continuing at pace. Community safety is our priority and we are currently engaging with local representatives and residents to provide reassurance and support.
“Our officers were on the scene within minutes and we wish to acknowledge the members of the public who strived to save the man from further attack. Their willingness to step forward to help another person shows incredible bravery and community spirit.
“We are also aware of footage circulating online and we would strongly urge members of the public not to share or repost these images. Doing so risks causing further trauma to the injured man’s loved ones and may impact the ongoing investigation. Our thoughts remain with the victim’s family at this deeply distressing time.
As yet we don’t know the full facts around this, I would ask that you don’t speculate. We have switched comments to pre-moderation as we know emotions are running high on this one.
Managing Editor of Slugger O’Toole. I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism; I am not a member of any political party. When not stuck in front of a screen, I am a parkrun Run Director.
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