“I’m Going to Kill Him, Wallahi”: Hero Bystander’s Account of Belfast Knifeman Attack

In a terrifying incident that could have ended in tragedy, a Belfast man has shared the dramatic moments he and a friend confronted a knifeman intent on harming a victim late last night. The courage of ordinary citizens in the face of extreme danger has captured public attention across Northern Ireland.

Witnessing Horror on Kinnaird Avenue

Matt McKiernan, 32, was driving through West Belfast when he noticed a car stopped abruptly in the middle of Kinnaird Avenue. “The woman driving then began reversing at speed as though she was trying to get away from something,” McKiernan told the Daily Mail. As he drove past, he realized two men were fighting violently in the street, one pinned on top of the other.

Recognizing the threat, McKiernan and his friend Andre, trained in Brazilian jujitsu, instinctively jumped from their car to intervene. “We thought we better go and break it up,” McKiernan said. “It was late at night, and we didn’t want to see anyone get seriously hurt.”

A Terrifying Confrontation

Andre initially attempted to separate the attacker from the victim but quickly realized the danger: the man wielded a serrated steak knife with a broken handle. The attacker shouted, “I’m going to kill him, Wallahi, he’s dead,” before stabbing the victim in the eye.

McKiernan, recalling the sheer terror of the moment, said, “I thought this was another Lee Rigby-type incident. I really thought someone was going to lose their life.”

Having recently taken his son to hurling practice, McKiernan returned home, grabbed his son’s hurley stick, and confronted the attacker. With precise and forceful strikes to the head, he managed to make the man stumble, dropping the knife. Andre followed closely behind, subduing the attacker with an ankle hold, while another bystander kicked the weapon away.

The Rescue Effort

The pair worked to roll the attacker onto his stomach to prevent further harm, but he continued to resist. Police officers soon arrived, taking control until armed tactical units secured the scene. The victim, though severely weakened from blood loss, remained conscious. McKiernan described how the attacker attempted to strike the victim’s throat while he struggled to speak, adding to the sheer danger of the encounter.

Ordinary Heroes in Extraordinary Circumstances

McKiernan emphasized that instinct drove his actions. Armed only with a wooden hurling stick and guided by his concern for the victim’s life, he intervened in a situation that could have escalated into a fatal attack. “It was about protecting someone who couldn’t protect themselves,” he said.

The victim has since received medical attention, and authorities continue their investigation. This act of bravery highlights the critical role of bystanders and the courage that can emerge when ordinary people confront life-threatening danger.

A resident who witnessed a knife attack in Belfast has described what he saw as like “something out of a movie”.

A man aged in his 40s has been left with significant injuries to his face, neck and back according to the PSNI, following the incident in the Kinnaird Avenue area in… pic.twitter.com/QMv8xdyguB

— UTV Live News (@UTVNews) June 9, 2026