CALGARY — The victim of the "beheading" attempt in North Belfast has been identified as 44-year-old Stephen Ogilvie.Ogilvie has sustained intense injuries including the loss of his left eye with severe injuries to his right, facial lacerations, slash wounds to his neck and back, and other serious head injuries.The suspect, identified as Hadi Alodid, was arrested in the attempted murder of Ogilvie.Reportedly, Alodid refused legal representation through an Arabic interpreter and did not enter a plea.District judge, Stephen Keown, refused bail after hearing police concerns there could be "significant public disorder" if he was released due to "strong public feeling" about the incident.The case has been adjourned until July 8..Phillip Brett, a DUP member of the Northern Ireland Assembly, has issued a statement on behalf of the victim, the assembly said they did not want the incident to stoke division."We are aware of the tensions and talk of protests following this incident." Brett stated."We want to make it absolutely clear that overnight unrest is not welcome, and peaceful protest is the only way forward.""We have many migrants who make a deeply valuable contribution to our country, including in our healthcare system and hospitality sector and we depend on them to make our country work." "We do not want this terrible tragedy to be used to divide people or fuel hostility.".Ogilvie’s family has also made a statement regarding the incident: “We are completely devastated by the horrific attack on our loved one on Kinnaird Avenue. This has been a massive shock to our whole family, and right now, our only priority is being at his bedside and helping him recover.""We want to say a profound thank you to the local people who bravely stepped in during the attack. Your quick actions absolutely saved his life, and we will never forget what you did for him in that moment. We also want to thank the emergency services and the doctors and nurses looking after him.""We are aware of the tensions and talk of protests following this incident. We want to make it absolutely clear that overnight unrest is not welcome, and peaceful protest is the only way forward. We have many migrants who make a deeply valuable contribution to our country, including in our healthcare system and hospitality sector and we depend on them to make our country work. We do not want this terrible tragedy to be used to divide people or fuel hostility.”.Protests have erupted all over the United Kingdom after the attempted beheading incident Monday night.So far, protests have occurred in Belfast, Manchester, Mansfield, Southampton, Parliament Square in London, Epping, Glasgow, and Wolverhampton.Anti-immigration demonstrations have occurred due to the fact the suspect was a Sudanese national who had previously sought asylum and had been granted leave to remain in the UK.Politicians and community leaders warned that the attack was being used to inflame ethnic tensions before investigators had established a motive.UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called for calm across the United Kingdom, including his office urging the public not to inflame tensions or spread misinformation while the police investigate the motive behind the attack."The horrific attack in Belfast last night is sickening." Starmer stated, "I have absolutely no tolerance for abhorrent scenes of violence like this on our streets.".Peter McReynolds, Alliance party assembly member for East Belfast, says he is "disgusted" at the "destruction and violence" that has happened on the Newtownards Road, after a bus was set on fire.According to a post on Facebook, McReynolds says: "This serves no one, changes nothing and damages our community.""Thoughts with the Glider staff, our community in fear this evening during this destruction and our under pressure PSNI officers facing down this violence this evening."The PSNI described the incident as a critical case due to its seriousness and the level of public concern generated by the footage."I want to especially acknowledge the courage of those members of the public who ran towards danger to intervene and help the injured man and the PSNI officers who arrived so quickly to arrest the offender," Jon Boutcher, the chief constable of the PSNI, said."I have absolutely no doubt that those members of the public saved that man’s life."."It’s my understanding that the suspect was granted leave to remain in the United Kingdom on the 28 of September of 2023," added Boutcher, the chief constable of the PSNI."Again, this is to be confirmed, but I’m informed that he made his way from Sudan to Paris at dates unknown, and from Paris he flew to Dublin at a date yet to be determined.""From my current understanding, he then travelled from Dublin to Belfast by bus on the 10 of February of 2023 and claimed asylum on that date.""There is no trace of this suspect on any of our national security databases, and he was not known to the Police Service of Northern Ireland.""I’ve been in direct contact with the head of terrorism policing in the UK. At this stage we have no information to suggest that this was terrorist related."
