Sudanese Belfast stabbing suspect is former policeman

Family friends told The Telegraph that Alodid was from a large and politically-connected family from the town of Karima. He was born and partly raised in Saudi Arabia, but returned to Sudan for his education.

Azheri Omer said he had been friends with Alodid in the Sudanese capital Khartoum in 2022. Alodid joined the police in Khartoum, but Mr Omer said he had only stayed a few months.

He said the pair decided to head to Europe via Libya, which is a busy migrant-smuggling route.

The friend told The Telegraph by phone from Libya that Alodid had enough money to manage to cross the Mediterranean and reach Paris and then the UK. The friend had remained stranded in Libya because he had no funds.

Earlier this week, Jon Boutcher, the chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), said the suspect was believed to have travelled from Sudan to Paris, and then to Dublin, before taking a bus to Belfast in February 2023. 

There, he claimed asylum and was given leave to remain in the UK in September that year.

Alodid’s brothers followed him, according to sources familiar with the family, travelling to Paris before eventually making it to the UK. One was said to live in Liverpool, while another was thought to be living in Belfast with Alodid.

Friends of Alodid who said they had been in contact with the family told The Telegraph that family members were refusing to talk about the incident.

‘Notable growth’ in Sudanese migrant numbers

On what grounds exactly Alodid claimed asylum in the UK is not clear. Sudan’s civil war caused 14 million people to flee their homes, including some four million who are thought to have left the country.

The International Organisation for Migration, the UN’s migration body, said earlier this year there had been a “notable growth” in Sudanese migrants and refugees arriving in Europe from 2023 to 2025.

The 2025 figures show 12,684 migrants and refugees arrived in Europe by sea or land in the first 11 months of the year, a 3.3-fold increase compared to the number registered in the same period of 2024.

Osman Mahmoud, a former Sudanese politician with the National Congress Party, said: “This case has been a very big deal in the Sudanese social media. Everyone is afraid to be involved with this case, and we have seen the reaction of the British people against the Sudanese.”