Man who fought off Belfast knifeman with hurling stick named

A man who used a hurling stick to fight off a knifeman in north Belfast has been named as Maitiu Mag Tighearnan. Tighearnan, from Northern Ireland, was filmed hitting the assailant five times on the head with the wooden hurley as other people kicked and punched him on Kinnaird Avenue on Monday night. Police arrested a man on suspicion of attempted murder and declared a critical incident. The suspect was taken into custody after a victim suffered “significant injuries” to his face, neck and back. In a social media post, Tighearnan said he “just landed there by chance” and managed to “protect a young lad”. He is understood to have been visiting his partner, who lives on the street where the attack took place. Asked on social media why he had intervened and whether he had waited for the police, he said: “Mate, I just landed there by chance. Cops were called before I even got out to protect a young lad. As if waiting on cops was my first thought.” Maitiu Mag Tighearnan and another member of the public confronting the apparent attacker. Photograph: Social media The suspect is believed to be Sudanese, and to have leave to remain in Northern Ireland after coming from Dublin, police said. Keir Starmer praised “members of the public who intervened”, while Brian Kingston, a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician, also praised residents. …