‘There was blood everywhere’, says Belfast hero who hit ‘knifeman’ with hurley & insists bold act was ‘natural reaction’
A BRAVE dad who armed himself with a stick and stepped in to stop a brutal knife attack in Belfast says it was simply his “natural reaction”.
Maitiu Mág Tighearnán, known as Matt, put himself in harm’s way along with two other members of the public in a desperate bid to save the victim during what was described as an attempted beheading.
Stephen Ogilvie, believed to be aged 44, suffered devastating injuries, including losing his left eye – with a Sudanese asylum seeker, Hadi Alodid, 30, charged with attempted murder.
The attack led to two consecutive nights of anti-immigrant riots and the city remains under heavy police presence.
Matt had just come back from a night out when he discovered the terrifying scene unfolding outside his home on Monday night.
Grabbing a wooden hurley stick, used in the Irish sport of hurling, he rushed out to confront the attacker.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain today, Matt said: “If it was any of our family we’d hope they’d do the same. We’re just grateful we could intervene when we could.”
He went on to say: “I would love to see him (Stephen) and see how he’s recovering.
“I did speak to family they thanked me. I received a message from another family. I haven’t been able to speak directly to him.
“If it was any of our family we’d hope they’d do the same. We’re just grateful we could intervene when we could.”
Dramatic footage showed Matt swinging the stick several times at the suspect as he and two other men tried to stop the sickening attack.
Detectives investigating the attack have recovered a kitchen knife from the scene.
The suspect was charged on suspicion of attempted murder, possession of a bladed article and threats to kill, appearing Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
Alodid is believed to have travelled from Sudan to Paris, and then from Paris to Dublin, on unknown dates, before taking a bus to Belfast in February 2023.
Officers were scrambled to Kinnaird Avenue in the north of Belfast at around 10.30pm on Tuesday after receiving reports of the knife attack.
Harrowing footage appears to show a knifeman slashing the victim’s neck and face with a blade as onlookers yell “get off”.
One appears to shout: “He’s trying to cut his head off.”
Protests erupted in Belfast on Wednesday night, with homes, buses and bins set alight.
Yobs in balaclavas torched cars parked on residential streets and driveways, which appear to have caused three houses to catch fire.
A bus on the Newtownards Road in east Belfast was set alight, forcing Translink to suspend its services until further notice.
Many of the protesters were dressed in dark tracksuits with their hoods up and masks on.
In response, Matt said: “Everyone is entitled to their right to protest.
“When it turns violent, then you lose sight of the protest and what it stands for.
“We’ve had a shop that’s been there 15 or 20 years, maybe longer, and it’s premises have been ruined.
“Burning a bus in Belfast costs thousands and it took so many years to build.”
