CCTV images of two men were released by police on Wednesday night after a second evening of rioting in Belfast — violence that has now spread beyond the city, with three officers injured in a disorder in Greenock, Inverclyde, outside a hotel used to house asylum seekers.
The unrest followed the stabbing of Stephen Ogilvie on Monday night. The man accused of the attack, Hadi Alodid, a Sudanese asylum seeker who had come to the UK from Sudan, appeared in court on Wednesday and was remanded in custody. But the revelation that Ogilvie’s alleged attacker was an asylum seeker triggered two nights of serious disorder in Belfast. On Tuesday, houses were left scorched and families forced to flee. Cars were set ablaze and petrol bombs thrown. Two police officers were injured and two people have been charged with rioting.
“Police issue appeal to trace two men after riots in Belfast as violence spreads to Greenock, injuring three officers.”
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers released images of two men they want to trace. One image shows a man in a black jacket and navy tracksuit bottoms with a rucksack. The second is pictured wearing a beanie hat and a black North Face puffer gilet with the hood up. “Police have released a number of images following serious disorder in Belfast,” the force said in a statement. “Police would like to speak with the people in these images in connection with serious public disorder on Tuesday (9th June) in the Belfast area.” Anyone who can identify them is urged to contact detectives or Crimestoppers.
Meanwhile, an 18-year-old was arrested after a petrol bomb was thrown at officers in Carrickfergus. Security minister Dan Jarvis warned that more arrests “will surely follow”. But the family of Mr Ogilvie, who lost an eye in Monday night’s attack, issued a plea for calm on Wednesday, insisting they did not want the incident to stoke division and defending migrants as making a “deeply valuable” contribution to Northern Ireland.
Despite their appeal, violence erupted again on Wednesday evening in Newtownabbey to the northwest of Belfast. And the disorder was mirrored in Scotland: three police officers were injured in Greenock, Inverclyde, following unrest outside a hotel being used to house asylum seekers. The hotel had become the focal point of anger in the wake of the stabbing.