Heroic Belfast dad who fought off knifeman with hurling stick is named as fundraiser set up

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Maitiu Mág Tighearnán, from west Belfast, has been lauded for his efforts in helping fight off a knifeman with a hurling stick.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, he recalled hearing the attacker shouting "I'm going to kill him" as he approached.

A crowdfunder has been set up for Mr Tighearnán after he intervened while a victim in his 40s was being attacked in the Kinnaird Avenue of the Northern Irish capital on Monday night.

In video footage of his heroics, Mr Tighearnán is shown hitting the attacker with his hurl before he and others pull him off the victim.

The victim is in hospital, where his condition is described as serious, after suffering significant injuries to his eyes, face, neck and back.

He told the newspaper that on his way back from hurling practice with his son, he saw a car rapidly reverse as "if to get away".

After getting out of his car with a friend named Andre, they saw the attacker stabbing the man.

“The attacker was by now shouting and he said ‘I’m going to kill him, Wallahi, he’s dead’. And then he stabbed him in the eye.

“At this point I thought this was another Lee Rigby type of incident. I really thought someone was going to lose their life.”

Mr Tighearnán said “instinct took over” as he confronted the attacker.

“Andre was a few seconds behind and he came running in and tried to subdue the attacker with an ankle hold so he could free the victim,” he added.

“I hit this guy again, hard, but it didn’t seem to phase him. He did stumble back, though and dropped the knife. I think another man who’d been watching came in and kicked the knife away.”

“I’m glad we intervened when we did. It was pure chance that we’d gone that route to the petrol station,” he continued."

A 30 year-old Sudanese national arrested in connection with the attack has since been charged with attempted murder.

The man, who was revealed as a Sudanese national, will appear in court in the city on Wednesday, the Police Service of Northern Ireland has said.

The police have said there is no information at this stage that the stabbing was terror-related.

It has been revealed that the suspect from Sudan has leave to remain in the UK until 2028. He entered the UK in 2023 and was granted refugee status the same year.

According to the Home Office, he claimed to have entered the UK via the Common Travel Area, the passport-free travel zone that includes the Republic of Ireland, the UK, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.

Police initially said they believed the suspect in custody was from Somalia, but later clarified that he is Sudanese.

The victim, in his 40s, remained in a serious condition in hospital on Tuesday.

The man suffered “significant injuries to his eyes”, the Police Service of Northern Ireland said as they gave further details about the "barbaric" attack.

Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson has said he shares the public’s “revulsion” at the attack,

He said that the victim was "taken to hospital with significant injuries to his eyes and serious slash wound injuries to his back and face".

Mr Henderson made a plea for "calm" amid reports of protests planned in Northern Ireland tonight.

The incident has prompted widespread condemnation and expressions of concern across the political spectrum in Northern Ireland and beyond.

The leaders of the five largest parties at Stormont issued a joint statement in response to the attack.

Sinn Féin vice president and Stormont First Minister Michelle O’Neill, DUP leader Mr Robinson, Alliance Party leader Naomi Long, UUP leader Jon Burrows and SDLP leader Claire Hanna said they were “united in our condemnation of the horrific incident in North Belfast last night”.

“There is no place in our society for this kind of brutality,” they said.

“Our immediate thoughts are with the victim and his family, and we hope he makes a full and complete recovery.

“Our thoughts are also with those eyewitnesses to the incident, as well as those brave members of the public who intervened.

“We recognise the distress and fear this incident will cause within the local community.

“We urge people not to share the deeply disturbing images or videos, as their graphic nature would only serve to retraumatise those involved.”

Condemning the incident, Sir Keir Starmer said: “The horrific attack in Belfast last night is sickening.

“I have absolutely no tolerance for abhorrent scenes of violence like this on our streets.

“My thoughts are first and foremost with the victim, and I thank the first responders, including members of the public who intervened."