An African refugee who allegedly tried to murder a White man in the street in Belfast with a knife has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Hadi Alodid, 31, faced Belfast Crown Court on Friday for an arraignment hearing where he was assisted by an Arabic interpreter.
He pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and possession of a knife over the June 8 knife attack, and to an additional charge of threatening behaviour in relation to a separate incident hours later, RTE reported.
The judge set his trial down for February 1, and both prosecution and defence barristers asked for two weeks for the case to be heard.
Anti-immigration protests erupted in the Northern Irish capital after footage emerged of Alodid allegedly attempting to behead Stephen Ogilvie before being tackled by witnesses and police.
Mr Ogilvie, who is aged in his 40s, lost his left eye as a result of the attack, and suffered deep cuts to his face, neck and back.
The UK’s Home Office originally told the public that Alodid was from Sudan and had been granted asylum under a fast-track application scheme because of his nationality, but the Police Service of Northern Ireland has since said he may actually be from Chad.
Header image: Left, right, the Belfast knife attack (X).
