Sudanese national suspect attempts to behead UK citizen — but police beg public not to share images

An attempted beheading in the Kinnaird Avenue area of North Belfast was thwarted late Monday night after a stick-wielding Good Samaritan and other passersby intervened, giving the attacker a good thwacking.

Although he kept his head, the victim — a citizen in his 40s — was taken to the hospital in serious condition with "significant injuries to his face, neck, and back," according to a police press release.

'We do not have to live like this.'

The suspected attacker, a Sudanese national in his 30s whom the Police Service of Northern Ireland initially mistook for a Somali, has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. He remains in police custody.

Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said in a statement, "This brutal attack will have sent shock waves through the community, causing real concern. I want to reassure the local community that we are treating this attack with the utmost seriousness."

Citing the supposed risk of further traumatizing the victim, Henderson implored "members of the public not to share or repost" images or footage of the attack.

Despite the urging by police, remigration activist Tommy Robinson and other transparency-oriented members of the British public have shared the horrific footage, which shows a black male sitting atop a bloodied victim, shouting something in a foreign tongue, then carving into the victim's throat.

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Tejas Sandhu/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

A burly gentleman armed with a hurling stick can be seen rushing into action and repeatedly hammering the suspect over the head. Another two men rush in to help — one attempting to pull the victim to safety and the other giving a few well-placed kicks to the aggressor's head.

In the House of Commons on Tuesday, Hilary Benn, the secretary of state for Northern Ireland, addressed the Good Samaritans who intervened, stating, "You showed the very best of humanity, and you have the profound gratitude of this entire House."

Gavin Robinson, a member of the British Parliament for East Belfast who pressed Benn to comment on the matter, claimed that the Sudanese suspect behind the "medieval" attack was in the country on a five-year visa.

"Having abused the privilege of our nation, the perpetrator living in the U.K. under a five-year visa needs to be convicted and deported on the first flight out on a one-way ticket," said Robinson.

While Benn refused to divulge whether the suspected attacker first entered Northern Ireland illegally, he said that "any foreign national who abuses the hospitality of this country to commit crimes should be in no doubt of our determination to deport them."

Rupert Lowe, a British lawmaker who serves as leader of Restore Britain, demanded on Tuesday that Prime Minister Keir Starmer — who characterized the attempted beheading as "sickening" — provide "full details of this savage's nationality, immigration status, and religion," stressing that the "British people need to know the full truth."

"I have had enough. The British people have had enough. We do not have to live like this," wrote Lowe. "There is another way. Death penalty, mass deportations, end mass immigration."

While British conservative politician Matt Vickers, the MP of Stockton West, did not advocate for the death penalty, he was among those who similarly demanded that the government release the relevant facts "to avoid speculation and prevent an information vacuum, which the independent reviewer of terror legislation has warned about."

"If there have been failings on our borders, this is yet another reminder that we do need stronger borders and this is why we believe it is time to leave the [European Convention on Human Rights,]" added Vickers.

While some politicians want answers, others have expressed concern that this latest apparent instance of imported violence might be used by the right in criticism of Britain's failed migration policies.

Colum Eastwood, an Irish politician who served as the leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, stated, for instance, "The horrific scenes in North Belfast should not be used by English, right wing politicians to further their own ends."

The Green Party stated, "There are those who will seek to use this to further their aims, to create division, marginalise vulnerable communities, and undo the steps we have made toward a more cohesive society. We must not let them."

Mass protests are expected to rock Belfast on Tuesday evening.

Lowe cautioned protesters in advance: "Patriots — if you are protesting tonight, in Belfast or elsewhere, do NOT give Starmer what he wants. Stay calm. Keep your heads. Do NOT attack the police. The state will show you no mercy. The dangerous ‘far-right’ will be blamed, and your life will be ruined forever. It will be that brutal. However angry you are feeling now, it is not worth it. Protest — but do it loudly, do it peacefully."

Tommy Robinson, who has advertised the protests, said in a statement, "Stop dumping these third world savages into our communities!"

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