He's trying to cut off his head: Belfast burns after refugee tries to behead local

"He's trying to cut his head off," screamed a woman in disbelief as she saw the attacker in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The attacker was waving the knife menacingly at others, indicating they would meet the same fate as the bloodied victim if they tried to intervene.

"You just need to get here, he's gonna die," said the woman who called the police. The woman rushed outside after hearing screams and commotion outside her home, but froze at the sight.

The victim, a white man, is in hospital, and his condition is stated to be serious. He was saved at the moment because some passersby fought the armed attacker.

Chaos descended on the streets of Belfast in the UK after Monday's horrific attack. Masked rioters hijacked and set fire to vehicles, blocked roads, and attacked homes of racial minorities.

That came after the attacker, later identified as a Sudanese national with refugee status, was seen attempting to behead a man in the middle of the street in full view of terrified pedestrians.

Belfast is no stranger to violence. For nearly 30 years, between the 1960s and the 1990s, the city was at the center of The Troubles, where Irish nationalist and British loyalist groups clashed repeatedly, with civilians and the British Army caught in between. Since then, Belfast has steadily transformed, growing into a peaceful, modern, vibrant capital.

That image, however, seems to have taken a severe blow, with the brutal attempted murder on Monday, and the subsequent widespread anti-immigration protests and violent riots that have rocked Belfast in the days since. The incident also comes days after the murder of Southampton student, Henry Nowak, who was killed by a Sikh assailant wielding a long dagger-like object.

SUDANESE REFUGEE ATTACKS 40-YEAR-OLD MAN

The attempted beheading took place on Monday outside a block of flats in the Kinnaird Avenue area of North Belfast. The assailant, identified as a 30-year-old Sudanese refugee who had been given leave to stay in the UK until 2028, was seen launching a frenzied attack with a large kitchen knife on a 40-year-old man.

According to a report by the UK-based news outlet, BBC, the individual had come to the UK in 2023 via Paris and Dublin, before applying for asylum.

The victim, who is battling for his life, was identified by locals as Stephen Ogilvie.

"He’s lived here for around a year and a half and has been a bit of a nuisance, but what's happened to him is absolutely horrendous, and I'd never wish that on anybody," one of Stephen's neighbours told the UK-based news outlet, The Sun.

Footage of the incident that later appeared on social media showed the knife-wielding assailant repeatedly stabbing Stephen in the back and when he slumped to the ground, he leapt on him and sat across his chest.

As he began sawing at Stephen's neck, locals screamed at him to get off, but he warned them off by waving his knife at them. One shocked woman was seen saying, "He’s trying to cut his head off." Other witnesses described the attacker as appearing calm and even licking blood from his lips, reported The Sun.

BYSTANDERS FIGHT BACK WITH STICKS, CALL POLICE

As the attack unfolded, members of the public rushed to intervene despite the obvious danger.

One group, led by Maitiu Mag Tighearnan, known locally as Matt, armed themselves with hurling sticks and confronted the attacker.

According to reports by the BBC and The Sun, Matt managed to hit the attacker on the head with the hurling stick, before other bystanders rushed in and hauled off the Sudanese national, who had attempted to fight back by biting the rescuers.

Meanwhile, another resident, Karen Mulholland, seeing the incident go down, dialled 999, the UK's emergency phone number, using a phone she was handed by a delivery driver.

A resident of the area, named Karen Mullohand, who alerted police to the attack, said she was "standing in the street shaking" while making the call. She told BBC News NI how she was in her home with her partner and children when they heard screaming outside.

Mullohand said a delivery driver handed his phone to her so she could talk to 999. I said: "You just need to get here, he's gonna die".

"I saw evil in that guy's eyes. He was licking his lips with the blood. He was enjoying it," she told the Irish Sun.

Officers of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) were on the scene in minutes, where they arrested the assailant and administered first aid to the survivor, Stephen.

Stephen remains in a serious condition and has been left with significant injuries to his face, neck and back, the PSNI said in a press release. The attacker, meanwhile, has been charged with attempted murder, possession of an article with a blade or point in a public place and threats to kill. He is due to appear at Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.

Many, including the police, have credited the bystanders and their intervention with saving Stephen's life.

"Our officers were on the scene within minutes, and we wish to acknowledge the members of the public who strived to save the man from further attack. Their willingness to step forward to help another person shows incredible bravery and community spirit," Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson was quoted as saying by media outlets.

MONDAY KNIFE ATTACK TRIGGERS RIOTS IN BELFAST

The incident on Monday, which came days after the killing of Southampton student Henry Nowak by a dagger-wielding Sikh assailant, triggered protests across the UK, as well as violent riots in Belfast on Tuesday.

According to a report by the BBC, masked rioters (some of whom were reported to be as young as 16) hijacked and set fire to vehicles, blocked roads, and attacked homes of racial minorities.

A pastor at the scene where multiple houses were on fire around Crumlin Road in north Belfast said people were being put out of houses "because they're black." In another scene, about 100 masked men made their way down a street and kicked in doors and broke windows. Some of them were allegedly heard seeing they were "getting the foreigners out", reported the BBC.

One Belfast MP told the news outlet, "What you're seeing is a race-based pogrom. We are seeing men going door to door asking to get the foreigners out based exclusively on the colour of their skin."

While Belfast remains under a heightened police presence as the accused is scheduled to appear before the Belfast Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, the impact of the brutal knife attack on Monday might continue to be felt for quite some time.