Belfast court remands Sudanese asylum seeker accused in knife attack that left man with serious eye injuries

A Sudanese asylum seeker accused of a knife attack in north Belfast appeared in court and was ordered remanded in custody after prosecutors said he blinded a local man in his left eye, an injury that sparked outrage and overnight unrest across the city. Hadi Alodid, 30, was charged with attempted murder and with possessing a knife, according to the report of his court appearance.

The alleged attack occurred shortly after 10:30 p.m. on Monday in the Kinnaird Avenue area near the Antrim Road. Police and prosecutors said the victim, Stephen Ogilvie, a man in his 40s, suffered serious injuries to his face, neck, back, and eyes, with the case record described as involving a loss of sight in his left eye. Officers recovered what they believed to be a kitchen knife at the scene.

On Wednesday, Alodid appeared at Belfast Magistrates’ Court by video, the reporting said. Prosecutors accused him of blinding Ogilvie in his left eye during the stabbing. The defendant, who declined legal representation through an Arabic interpreter, did not enter a plea during the appearance, and the court ordered that he remain jailed pending the next steps in the case.

The stabbing triggered violent demonstrations in the following hours, with several reports describing arson and property damage. Reuters reported that masked men burned families out of their homes and torched vehicles in a wave of anti-immigrant violence. Other reporting described burned-out cars and boarded-up houses in east Belfast, with police responding to disturbances that spread after the initial arrest.

Police also used crowd-control measures during the unrest, including water cannon, according to the reporting. Authorities in Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom called for calm, as additional demonstrations developed alongside the criminal case proceedings. Officials have not said publicly that the violence was related to a specific, confirmed motive for the stabbing, and police statements focused on the investigation and public safety.

While Alodid’s court appearance addressed the criminal allegations, the next procedural steps will depend on how the case proceeds through the custody and charging process. Separate from the stabbing charges, investigators will also pursue responsibility for the arson and disorder that followed, including identification of those involved in attacks on homes and vehicles.

Separately, the case has renewed scrutiny of how asylum and immigration processes operate alongside public order. For now, the central proceedings remain focused on the alleged attack, including the prosecution’s claim that Ogilvie was seriously injured and the court’s determination that the defendant should be held while the case advances.