Belfast attack victim’s family issue major update on his condition

Family condemn sharing of ‘deeply distressing’ false information.

This follows a court hearing yesterday, where it was revealed the victim of the Belfast knife attack lost his left eye, with the accused being named.

On Monday evening, a man in his 40s, who has been named locally as Stephen Ogilvie by Belfast Live, was attacked by a 30-year-old Sudanese man in a knife attack which left him with serious injuries.

The incident happened on Kinnaird Avenue in north Belfast at about 22:30 BST on Monday.

Videos circulating online showed several people, including one person wielding a hurling stick, confronting the attacker until the police arrived.

The suspected attacker, who was arrested on Monday and charged with attempted murder yesterday, appeared at Belfast Magistrates' Court today.

The court heard that the victim had lost an eye in the attack, as per the BBC.

The suspected attacker has also been named as Hadi Alodid and has been charged with attempted murder, threats to kill an NHS radiographer and possession of a knife.

He has been remanded in custody for four weeks.

Family issue update on victim’s condition

Stephen Ogilvie’s family said through police that they have witnessed a lot of false information circulating on social media.

"It is now forcing us to clarify that our loved one is in fact in a stable condition, and we are solely focused on his recovery at this time," they said in a statement distributed by the PSNI.

The family added: "We are also appealing to the media and the public to please give us some space. We need privacy to focus on our family right now, without cameras or people speculating about what happened via social media.”

The family went on to condemn the sharing of false information on social media, stressing it is "deeply distressing" and should stop.

Finally, they urged the violence to stop, adding that they have been left “feeling disgusted” by the recent disorder.

As riots continue in Belfast, demonstrations have also been held across the UK following Monday’s stabbing.

Disorder continues for a second night in Belfast

Even though water cannons were deployed in Belfast and additional officers were drafted in to patrol the streets, it's understood that Wednesday's disorder was not on the same scale as Tuesday's violence, which saw people flee their homes, per BBC News.

Cabinet Office minister Baroness Anderson told the Lords 27 people had been made homeless on Tuesday night "because people went door-to-door to try and target foreign nationals".

The Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland said a two-month-old baby was among those rescued during Tuesday’s violence.

Two police officers were also injured.

Groups of masked men set fire to houses, a bus and cars, while petrol bombs were also thrown at police in several locations.