Violence erupts in Belfast as man charged over knife attack

People have been forced to flee their homes in Belfast amid disorder following a knife attack.

Houses and cars have been set on fire and all public transport has been been paused in the city.

A 30-year-old Sudanese man is due to appear in court on Wednesday charged with attempted murder following the attack in north Belfast on Monday night.

He has also been charged with possession of an article with blade in a public place and threats to kill.

A man in his 40s remains in hospital with serious injuries to his eyes, neck and back after the attack in Kinnaird Avenue at about 22:30 BST.

A video widely circulated online showed a number of people, including one wielding a hurling stick, confront the apparent attacker until police officers arrived.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) have called for calm as "sporadic pockets of disorder" have broken out across Northern Ireland in response to the attack.

People gathered at a number of locations, including Londonderry, Antrim, Newtownabbey, Ballymena, Bangor and Belfast.

Some protests passed peacefully but violence erupted in a number of areas.

"Cars were set alight on the road, which caught fire to my house but masked men were bashing down doors," a resident in Lendrick Street, in east Belfast, told BBC News NI.

A group of about 100 masked people were on the Newtownards Road in east Belfast where doors were kicked in and windows were broken.

Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader, Jon Burrows, said a large number of them were teenagers.

Bins and a bus were also set on fire.

A Translink spokesperson condemned the attack on its bus service and suspended services.

Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson appealed for "voices of influence within local communities to encourage peaceful protest and discourage any involvement in violence or disorder".

Earlier, Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said there would be an increased police presence on the streets in the coming days.

Elsewhere, a police Land Rover was attacked on the Crumlin Road and houses and cars were on fire nearby.

A significant emergency response remains in the area, but protesters have left the scene after the rain started.

At a house which has had its windows broken, a woman shouted through the letterbox, urging the occupants to come outside.

A pastor helping people targeted in the area said members of his church "who have been with us for 20 years" were being put out of their homes "because they're black".

"I'm angry and disappointed that this is the response of people in our community," pastor Jack McKee said.

The police and fire service were also in attendance at Sandy Row in Belfast, assessing what appeared to be a shop front on fire.

About 10 people in dark clothing were watching on.