Belfast knife attack latest: Water cannon fired in latest disorder after

Key Points:

• Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn announced that Police Scotland will assist the Northern Ireland police with dog teams to help manage public order amid recent unrest, describing such cooperation as well-established.
• Social media posts sharing addresses to target individuals, particularly ethnic minorities, have been condemned by Benn and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), with investigations underway and new government powers planned to compel social media companies to remove illegal content.
• Recent violence in Belfast and Ballymena involved attacks on homes, vehicles, and people, including ethnic minorities, leading to 27 people being made homeless and injuries to police officers; water cannon and additional officers were deployed to control the unrest.
• The family of stabbing victim Stephen Ogilvie called for calm and peaceful protest, condemning the use of the incident to fuel division, while a suspect, Hadi Alodid, appeared in court charged with attempted murder.
• Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly condemned the violence and racism, emphasizing that such actions harm communities and undermine legitimate concerns, while police urged the public not to be influenced by online misinformation.