Belfast riots spread after stabbing; masked rioters target migrants’ homes and families

UK imam's house firebombed and suspicious device found at mosque in Bolton Submitted by MEE staff on Fri, 06/12/2026 - 11:34 Package containing battery pack found outside mosque hours before Muslim preacher's home attacked in northern England CCTV footage shows a man wearing a helmet and black clothing setting the home of Imam Hassan Patel on fire on 10 June 2026 in Bolton, northern England (Screengrab) Off A suspicious device has been found outside a mosque and an imam’s house has been firebombed in Bolton, northern England, in a suspected targeted set of attacks.  A suspicious package containing a battery pack was found outside the Zakariyya Jaam'e Masjid on Wednesday morning, according to the Manchester Evening News.  Later that day, the home of local imam, Hassan Patel, also located in Bolton, was subjected to a firebomb arson attack.  CCTV footage shows a man wearing a helmet and black clothing approaching the driveway of Patel’s home, before lighting an object, smashing a window and lighting what appears to be an accelerant.  Patel, 42, lives in the home with his wife, four children and nephew. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said that all seven residents escaped uninjured.  A police spokesperson said an investigation was under way but no arrests had yet been made.  "We as a family are devastated by the serious and callous arson attack that targeted our home. It was daylight at the time. This was clearly a dangerous and deliberate act that put our lives at risk,” Patel said.  Greater Manchester Police have issued an appeal for information after a suspected arson attack on the home of an Imam in Bolton last night. Footage shows a masked man throwing a lit object through a front window. The Patel family were safely evacuated by emergency services and… pic.twitter.com/Q9xixsro3s — Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) June 11, 2026 He added that he was a Bolton resident who proactively engaged with “people of all faiths and no faith”. “At this stage, we understand that the incident is not being treated as a hate crime,” Patel said.  “However, given the circumstances and the impact this attack has had on us, we believe it is essential that all possible motives are thoroughly examined and that no line of inquiry is ruled out prematurely.” 'Targeted attack' Detective Chief Inspector Mike Sharples, of GMP, said that such incidents were unacceptable and no member of the community should be made to feel threatened or intimidated.  "We understand this incident may cause concern within the community; we are working to find those responsible and bring them to justice. We believe this was a targeted attack, and there is no risk to the wider public,” he added.  Zack Polanski, the leader of the Green Party, who was born in the nearby area of Salford, criticised Prime Minister Keir Starmer for failing to condemn the attack.  "It's pretty disgraceful that there has been absolutely no mention of this from the Prime Minister,” Polanski wrote on X. "It's increasingly clear that some attacks, correctly, warrant disgust, emergency measures and days of media coverage. Others seem to be met with silence." Yasmin Qureshi, the local Labour MP for the area, said the two incidents had left people feeling anxious walking the streets and attending the mosque with their children.  'The mosque always felt like a safe space': San Diego's Muslims reel after deadly shooting Read More » “Let's not dance around what this is. When an Imam's home and a mosque are targeted within hours of each other, our Muslim neighbours hear the message that's intended - and so do I,” Qureshi said.  “Islamophobia has no place in Bolton. None. Our Muslim community is part of the fabric of this town, and an attack on them is an attack on all of us.” The incident came after race riots broke out in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, on Tuesday night as hundreds of masked men torched homes and vehicles belonging mostly to minority ethnic residents. The rioters set up checkpoints to search cars for foreign nationals, after the arrest on Tuesday of a Sudanese asylum seeker who has been charged with attempted murder. Hadi Alodid, a 30-year-old granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK, was filmed attacking a man on a residential street with a knife in what many commentators have described as an attempted beheading. On Tuesday afternoon, far-right activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, and Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, urged people to demonstrate over the attack. Anti-migrant protests were held in Belfast, Glasgow and Southampton. Islamophobia News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

Belfast 'hit list' of migrants' homes circulated ahead of second night of riots Submitted by Imran Mulla on Thu, 06/11/2026 - 09:43 On Wednesday evening masked rioters fought with police near a hotel housing migrants in the Northern Irish capital Protesters clash with police on a road leading to a hotel previously believed to house migrants in Glengormley, north of Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 10 June 2026 (AFP) Off Riots raged in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, for a second night, with masked men in balaclavas targeting ethnic minorities after a "hit list" of homes housing foreign nationals was circulated. The disorder was triggered by a knife attack on Monday allegedly carried out by a Sudanese asylum seeker, who has been charged with attempted murder.  Hadi Alodid, a 30-year-old granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK, allegedly attacked a man on a residential street with a knife in what many commentators have described as an attempted beheading. The victim, a man named Stephen Ogilvie, lost his left eye and suffered serious cuts to his face. His family said in a statement on Wednesday that "we have many migrants who make a deeply valuable contribution to our country. We do not want this terrible tragedy to divide people and fuel hostility." Riots first broke out in Belfast on Tuesday night, as hundreds of masked men torched homes and vehicles belonging mostly to ethnic minority residents. On Wednesday evening, masked rioters fought with police near a hotel accommodating migrants in northern Belfast.  The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it was contacted by several "extremely distressed" families whose homes were on a hit list circulated among rioters. The PSNI warned that people sharing the document "may be committing a criminal offence". Footage on Wednesday showed police officers firing a water cannon and plastic bullets at rioters, who tore bricks from properties to throw at buildings and officers. Rioters were seen trying to set an abandoned building on fire. Others set wheelie bins alight. Streets across Belfast were blocked off by rioters, and masked men set up checkpoints to monitor passing cars for non-white people. They did this with makeshift roadblocks made of street furniture. Men were filmed looking into cars before allowing them to pass. 'This has nothing to do with community. This is outright thuggery' – Michelle O'Neill, first minister of Northern Ireland On Tuesday, rioters had sought out homes of those believed to be migrants, asylum seekers or refugees. Footage showed children being carried out of houses next to the ones set alight. A Middle Eastern supermarket was set on fire and a local pastor, Jack McGee, told the BBC that residents were forced out of their houses "because they're black". Men filmed kicking in doors and smashing windows said they were "getting foreigners out". 'Things will continue to kick off' Anti-migrant protests were held elsewhere in the UK on Tuesday night, including in Glasgow, where 300 men in balaclavas were seen marching through the streets and attacking passers-by. Muslim worshippers had to be locked in the city's Central Mosque for their safety by police as men surrounded the building. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer denounced disorder as "shocking and completely unacceptable" on Wednesday morning. Revealed: New details of London event promoting Israeli settlement-linked companies Read More » Other politicians have gone further. Scottish First Minister John Swinney blamed “the Nigel Farages of the world” for stoking tensions.  Michelle O’Neill, the first minister of Northern Ireland, said: "Groups of masked men burning families out of their homes is nothing less than disgusting cowardice. This has nothing to do with community. This is outright thuggery." Meanwhile, Green Party leader Zack Polanski argued: "What we are witnessing in Belfast is not an isolated incident – it is part of a coordinated far-right pattern playing out across these islands... We will not allow racism and fascism to be normalised on any of our streets." Reform UK leader Nigel Farage struck a different note when he said on Wednesday that "things kicked off in Belfast last night in a very big way, and things will continue to kick off". He added: "I'm very open about the fact that some very bad actors get involved in this stuff, but not the vast majority. "The vast majority are fearful. The vast majority want action. They actually want something done to make their streets safer and nothing is being proposed." He added that "the fear is this stuff gets worse". Far-right activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, and billionaire X owner Elon Musk urged people to demonstrate over the knife attack hours before the rioting began on Tuesday. Musk posted on X: "Only by protesting REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY will there be any change!!" Then on Wednesday, Musk posted: "Murderous migrants beheading innocent people in their home town is what’s making people angry, not “social media”!" UK Politics News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

Coming soon to American neighborhoods near you; Night of Violence Grips Belfast After Stabbing Attack Cars and a bus were set on fire and families were driven from their homes as the stabbing attack caused tensions to spill onto the streets. www.nytimes.com Here’s how it happened: - Hadi Alodid, a Sudanese refugee, committed a heinous stabbing attack (captured on video) against Stephen Ogilvie on Monday night, in which the victim lost an eye. - Police arrested the suspect and he remains in custody. Motive is unknown, but police initially said this is not being considered an act of terrorism. - Graphic video of the incident went viral on Tuesday, with far-right influencers including “Tommy Robinson” calling on residents to take to the streets and reclaim their neighborhoods - Prominent UK far-right politicians such ans Nigel Farage and even Elon Musk himself literally reshared/retweeted locations where angry residents should gather (or target?) - Dozens of masked men gathered on Tuesday night... Read more

Belfast race riots see families targeted and houses torched after stabbing Submitted by Imran Mulla on Wed, 06/10/2026 - 11:01 Hundreds of masked men storm through Belfast after Elon Musk and other far-right figures urged protests following alleged stabbing by Sudanese asylum seeker A building is set alight in the Sandy Row area of Belfast city centre, Northern Ireland, in the evening of 9 June 2026 (AFP) Off Race riots broke out in the Northern Irish capital Belfast on Tuesday night as hundreds of masked men torched homes and vehicles belonging mostly to ethnic minority residents. The rioters set up checkpoints to search cars for foreign nationals, after the arrest on Tuesday of a Sudanese asylum seeker who has been charged with attempted murder. Hadi Alodid, a 30-year-old granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK, was filmed attacking a man on a residential street with a knife in what many commentators have described as an attempted beheading. Officers said they did not believe the attack was terror-related. On Tuesday afternoon, far-right activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, and billionaire X owner Elon Musk urged people to demonstrate over the attack across the UK. Musk posted on X: "Only by protesting REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY will there be any change!!" Both Musk and Robinson shared the locations of protests on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. Labour Party Chair Anna Turley denounced Musk, who is an American citizen from South Africa, as "appalling" on Wednesday. On Tuesday night, masked rioters in Belfast set houses, cars and a bus on fire. They were reportedly targeting council houses with migrants, asylum seekers or refugees in them. Footage showed children being carried out of houses next to the ones set alight. A Middle Eastern supermarket was set on fire and a local pastor, Jack McGee, told the BBC that residents were forced out of their houses "because they're black". Whites-only checkpoints One resident on Lendrick Road in east Belfast, Jamie Corry, told the Daily Mail that "the cars started to explode, the doors started smoking, the windows started melting, and the next thing the house was going to go up on fire". Men filmed kicking in doors and smashing windows said they were "getting foreigners out". Streets across Belfast were blocked off by rioters, and masked men set up checkpoints to monitor passing cars for non-white people. They did this with makeshift roadblocks made of street furniture. Masked men were filmed looking into cars before allowing them to pass. "We've seen police officers and firefighters having to actually rescue families from those buildings, bringing them out through the flames." Dan Johnson, BBC News correspondent, describes the violent disorder taking place in Belfast this evening.#Newsnight pic.twitter.com/KctY1OhT5N — BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) June 9, 2026 Elsewhere, young men were filmed riding on scooters carrying hammers and milk cartons filled with petrol. On Shankhill Road in west Belfast, an ethnic minority woman reportedly appeared at a window of a house besieged by rioters, who then battered down the house door and threw bricks at the windows.  British Prime Minister Keir Starmer denounced the disorder as "shocking and completely unacceptable" on Wednesday morning. He said: "There is no justification for the violence and disorder that we saw threatening our communities, nor for those who encouraged it, online or elsewhere. It is clear that people were targeted last night because of their background and I will not tolerate it." Starmer accuses Farage of inciting rage in wake of Southampton riot Read More » Michelle O’Neill, the first minister of Northern Ireland, said: "Groups of masked men burning families out of their homes is nothing less than disgusting cowardice. This has nothing to do with community. This is outright thuggery." Anti-migrant protests were held elsewhere in the UK on Tuesday night, including in London, Glasgow and Southampton, where crowds rioted last week over the killing of a young man. About 300 men in balaklavas were seen marching through the streets in Glasgow.  Video footage showed some of them fighting passers-by and attacking a delivery driver. These events have raised fears of more violent disorder over the summer. In August 2024, rioting raged across the country for over a week after the killing of three young girls in Stockport.  UK Politics News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0