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Passerby hailed hero for stopping Belfast knife attack with hurling stick
🇬🇷 Greece /Conflict & Security

Passerby hailed hero for stopping Belfast knife attack with hurling stick

From Ta Nea · () Greek

Translated from Greek, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • A passerby is hailed as a hero for intervening in a knife attack in Belfast, using his son's hurling stick to stop the suspect.
  • The 32-year-old man and his friend, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, stopped their car to help a bleeding victim.
  • Police have charged a 30-year-old Sudanese national, who entered the UK in 2023, with attempted murder.

Matt McKiernan, a 32-year-old transport company owner, is being called a hero after he used his son's hurling stick to stop a knife attacker in Belfast. McKiernan and his friend, Andre, who trains in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, saw a bleeding man on the ground and stopped to help.

I acted on instinct. I hit him three times with all my might. Andre tried to immobilize him by the ankle to free the victim.

— Matt McKiernanDescribing his intervention during the knife attack.

McKiernan described how he grabbed the hurling stick from his car's trunk and struck the suspect three times. Andre attempted to subdue the attacker, allowing the victim to be freed. The suspect eventually dropped the knife, which was then removed by another bystander. Police arrived shortly after.

"I acted on instinct," McKiernan told the Daily Mail. "I hit him three times with all my might. Andre tried to immobilize him by the ankle to free the victim." He added, "He had a terrible eye injury. I'm glad we managed to intervene. It was pure luck that we passed by."

He had a terrible eye injury. I'm glad we managed to intervene. It was pure luck that we passed by.

— Matt McKiernanReflecting on the incident and the victim's condition.

The suspect, identified as a Sudanese national who arrived in the UK in 2023 and received a residency permit, has been charged with attempted murder. The victim, a man in his 40s, sustained critical injuries to his face and neck. McKiernan, however, remains humble, stating, "I want to believe most people would do the same."

I want to believe most people would do the same.

— Matt McKiernanDownplaying his heroic actions.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Ta Nea in Greek. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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