Police said the victim, a man in his 40s, was taken to the hospital with serious injuries to his eyes, face and back late Monday. They said the suspect, who is in his 30s, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in police custody. A kitchen knife was found at the scene.
Police were trying to determine the motive, but there was no information to suggest the attack was terrorism-related, said Ryan Henderson, assistant chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland. He added that police were not seeking anyone else connected to the attack.
“This brutal attack will have sent shock waves through the community, causing real concern,” he said.
Gavin Robinson, the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, told Parliament that the perpetrator was living in the U.K. under a five-year visa and urged authorities to curb “uncontrolled immigration.”
Police believe the suspect had been granted permission to remain in the country, and that he lived near the scene of the crime, Henderson said. He declined to provide more details citing the ongoing investigation.
When pressed on the question in Parliament, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said he could not confirm whether the alleged attacker came to the U.K. illegally.
Starmer condemned the attack as “sickening" and said that he had “no tolerance for abhorrent scenes of violence like this on our streets.”
His office said “it is time for calm," adding “it’s important that police have the time and space to investigate appropriately."
Police and senior politicians urged people not to share the graphic images of the attack that were circulating online, or to spread disinformation about the situation.