A 30-year-old man from Sudan appeared in a Belfast court on Wednesday charged with attempted murder over a stabbing attack that left a victim seriously injured and triggered anti-immigrant violence in several parts of Northern Ireland.
Hadi Alodid, 30, was ordered held in jail after an appearance by video in Belfast Magistrates’ Court, where he was accused of blinding Stephen Ogilvie in his left eye during the stabbing, prosecutors said. He was also charged with threatening to kill a radiographer on the same day and with possessing a knife.
Alodid refused legal representation through an Arabic interpreter and did not enter a plea.
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The court appearance followed a night of violence in which masked men set fire to several homes they believed to house immigrants, burned trash bins, torched a Belfast bus and pelted police with objects. Firefighters rescued several people from burning homes.
Anselme Shima, a Belfast resident originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, said he saw smoke from burning vehicles near his home.
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“I’ve lived on my street for almost 10 years, I have a good relationship with my neighbours, but last night was a horrific one,” he said. “We don’t know what to do. I’m scared. Seeing this, I’m wondering if I’m next.”