Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (): In my response to yesterday's
Urgent Question, I committed to provide the House with a further
update on the facts surrounding the horrific attack in north
Belfast on 8 June.
My thoughts remain with the victim and his family, and with the
wider community who have been left shaken by these brutal events.
The scenes of disorder we witnessed in some parts of Northern
Ireland last night were shameful. It has put innocent lives at
risk, injured police officers and caused terror to people, forced
to flee their homes by mobs of masked men. I know the whole House
will utterly condemn these attacks, the burning of cars and homes
and the other related violence we have seen. There is no
justification at all for this type of thuggery.
I spoke with the Chief Constable yesterday and have seen him this
morning in Belfast. I have extended my full support to the Police
Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) as they seek to protect the
public and I have wished the officers injured in last night's
disturbances a speedy recovery.
The Home Office confirmed yesterday afternoon that the individual
is a Sudanese national with leave to remain in the UK until 2028.
He entered the UK in 2023 and was granted refugee status the same
year. The suspect says that he travelled from mainland Europe to
Dublin and then on to Belfast where he claimed asylum.
The PSNI yesterday stated that they have no information to
suggest that this was a terrorist-related incident.
The suspect was charged last night with attempted murder,
possession of an article with a blade or point in a public place
and threats to kill.
While nationality, immigration, and asylum are excepted matters
under the devolution settlement, the Home Office maintains close
cooperation with the Northern Ireland Executive. The Home Office
operates the same range of immigration functions in Northern
Ireland as it does across the rest of the United Kingdom.
Nearly 70,000 individuals were returned or removed from the UK
between July 2024 and the end of March 2026. This represents a
41% increase on the number of returns recorded in the previous
21-month period.
Of the total returns in the year ending March 2026, nearly 5,900
were of foreign national offenders (FNOs); this is an increase of
13% compared to 5,203 FNO returns in the previous year.
Foreign nationals who commit crimes should be under no illusion:
the law will be strictly enforced and, where appropriate, we will
pursue deportation.
This attack was deeply shocking and public concern is
understandable, but this moment requires calm leadership. We must
stand united in rejecting any attempts to use this incident to
incite violence, which as we saw last night, only harms local
communities. There is absolutely no excuse for further disorder
and the route to justice will be achieved solely through the work
of the PSNI and the legal system. I would encourage anyone with
relevant information to contact the police.
