Belfast knife attack: MP warns about 'folly' of open Irish border after police confirm suspect travelled to UK from Dublin
Confirmation that the suspect in a horrific knife attack in Belfast was granted leave to remain in the UK after travelling to Northern Ireland from Dublin, “underscores the absolute folly” of not having checks on the border with the Republic of Ireland, an MP has said.
TUV leader Jim Allister’s comments come after the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it was their understanding that the Sudanese suspect was granted permission to stay in the UK after arriving from Dublin.
The victim, aged in his 40s, was left with serious injuries to his eyes, back and face after he was ferociously attacked with a kitchen knife in a residential area close to Antrim Road on Monday.
The suspected knifeman, aged in his 30s is thought to be Sudanese, after police initially said they believed he was Somalian.
The News Letter has previously reported that Irish police have returned dozens of people to the United Kingdom after conducting searches of busses crossing the border from Northern Ireland in conjunction with the UK Home Office. Irish authorities have previously returned some migrants to Belfast on public transport, or on ferries to the UK mainland.
However, the Home Office had declined to say whether it has done the same with migrants entering Northern Ireland from the Republic.
Responding to the PSNI’s comments on the immigration status of the suspect in the Belfast knife attack, Jim Allister said: “The fact that the suspect detained in relation to last night’s brutal attack came to Northern Ireland via Dublin underscores the absolute folly of not having checks on the border with the Irish Republic.
“How many other characters like this have been able to just hop on a bus in Dublin and travel to this part of the UK no questions asked?
“TUV has been highlighting for months, that the open border with the Irish Republic is not just a constitutional outrage but madness when it comes to immigration policy. In light of last night’s horrific events this can no longer be brushed under the carpet.
“How many more attempted murders will we have to see before the border is enforced?
“The safety of people of all communities in Northern Ireland demands immediate action.”
In 2024, the Home Office told the News Letter that the government has “no plans for a returns agreement with Ireland for asylum seekers” and that its operation with Irish authorities was to prevent abuse of the Common Travel Area.
It came after a row over comments by the Irish justice minister Helen McEntee, who said that 80% of illegal immigration into the Republic was coming from Northern Ireland.
That prompted a crackdown to enforce Common Travel Area rules. British and Irish citizens are entitled to free movement between the countries, but many foreign nationals are not.
In October 2025, the Garda National Immigration Bureau carried out a “large scale checkpoint” on the M1 motorway coming from Northern Ireland to “curb abuses of the Common Travel Area” in which busses and taxis were stopped.
Four people were returned to the UK by ferry to Holyhead, where they were met by the UK Home Office Immigration Enforcement Team.
In February 2024, Garda National Immigration Bureau checkpoints on the M1 motorway at the border with Northern Ireland were carried out on on four separate days, according to a report from the Garda Commissioner to Ireland’s policing authority.
The report stated: “A total of 47 buses travelling southbound to Dublin were stopped and immigration checks carried out in respect of all passengers on board. From the 47 buses, a total of 25 persons were detected entering the State illegally, without the relevant visas or travel documents”.
All of the migrants were refused leave to land. All 25 were returned to the UK, 19 by ferry to Holyhead and 6 by train to Belfast.