Second night of disorder in Northern Ireland leaves 12 officers hurt

Twelve police officers were injured and 16 people arrested during a second night of unrest in Northern Ireland following a knife attack in Belfast.

Second night of disorder in Northern Ireland leaves 12 officers hurt

A dozen law enforcement personnel were wounded and sixteen individuals taken into custody as violence flared for a second consecutive evening across parts of Northern Ireland.

The disturbances erupted on Wednesday in Co Antrim, where masked individuals hurled bricks and incendiary devices at officers. Water cannons were deployed to disperse the crowds.

Near the Sandyknowes roundabout in Newtownabbey, northwest of Belfast, a government vehicle was set ablaze. Footage showed large groups dressed in dark clothing and face coverings tearing bricks from buildings and using sledgehammers to break paving stones into weapons.

Some attempted to ignite an empty building close to a filling station, while others set wheelie bins on fire. In Derry, reports emerged of items being set alight on Ardmore Road.

The violence followed a knife assault on Monday in Belfast that left Stephen Ogilvie, a man in his forties, hospitalised with the loss of an eye. His relatives issued a statement urging calm, saying they were "disgusted" by the disorder and did not want the attack used to divide communities.

Hadi Alodid, aged 30, appeared before Belfast Magistrates' Court charged with attempted murder over the stabbing. District Judge Stephen Keown denied bail, warning that anyone participating in further unrest should "be prepared to go to prison."

The Northern Ireland secretary condemned what he called "racist thuggery" and noted that 27 people had been made homeless on Tuesday night after mobs targeted foreign nationals.

Source: BreakingNews.ie

Source: BreakingNews.ie