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Terrified students are fleeing Belfast after homes were named on a rioters' 'hit list' in the wake of an alleged knife attack by a Sudanese migrant that sparked days of unrest across the city.
Young people have been packing their bags and abandoning rented accommodation amid fears properties could be targeted in a wave of violence that has seen homes, businesses and vehicles set on fire.
Some streets in south Belfast's student district have been left almost deserted as undergraduates head home, while others have sought refuge with friends after addresses circulated online.
The exodus follows several nights of disorder triggered by the stabbing of Stephen Ogilvie, 44, who remains in a coma after suffering devastating injuries.
Sudanese asylum seeker Hadi Alodid, 30, has been charged with attempted murder over the attack.
As tensions escalated, a list containing addresses believed to be linked to migrants was shared online, leaving many residents fearing they could become targets.
A 21-year-old medical student was loading up her car to leave Belfast after learning a property two doors from her home had appeared on the list.
'It is to scare people, it's scaremongering, but it's better to be safe than sorry,' she told the Telegraph.
She added that the address was actually occupied by fellow students.
On Tuesday night, Lendrick Road in east Belfast was engulfed in flames after fires leapt from cars to houses
The scene on Wednesday night in Glengormley, where police fired water cannons and rubber bullets at mobs of masked protesters
Residents had to be evacuated on Tuesday night after houses were set ablaze
Others who remained in the city said fear was spreading rapidly among residents.
Standing near the scene of an arson attack in north Belfast, a man in his twenties said many students had already left.
'Loads of them have been going home after the 'hit list' was sent around,' he said. 'The scariest thing is you don't know who it would be, who did it or who is going to be next. It's terror.'
The violence erupted after footage of the attack on Mr Ogilvie circulated online.
The 44-year-old suffered serious injuries to his face, back and eyes. Belfast Magistrates' Court heard that he lost his left eye during the attack and remains in hospital.
Alodid, who has been charged with attempted murder, is understood to have claimed asylum in Belfast in 2023 after travelling through several countries, including Egypt, France and Ireland.
A former colleague described him as a quiet and friendly man.
Ali, a 20-year-old Sudanese national living in Belfast, said he had worked alongside Alodid for a cleaning company and regularly played sport with him.
'He liked football – he's pretty good. He was friendly, he is a good guy, but he's a quiet person. If you didn't talk to him he wouldn't talk to you. He could be funny, sometimes serious. He used to joke with us, same as anyone.'
Ali said he had not seen Alodid for several months before the attack and added: 'Everyone loves their own country, but we love Ireland as well. They are very friendly people, very kind-hearted, I have had many people reach out to check in.'
The Police Service of Northern Ireland has warned against the sharing of addresses online, saying the practice has left residents and families 'extremely distressed'.
Graphic footage of the knife attack circulated widely on social media on Monday night
A bungalow stands burnt-out after it was torched by protesters, near where they tried to march on an asylum hotel
Stephen Ogilvie, 44, lost an eye following the attack and suffered injuries to his back, neck and face
Meanwhile, Mr Ogilvie's family appealed for calm and urged people not to use the attack to inflame tensions.
In a statement they said: 'We have many migrants who make a deeply valuable contribution to our country, including in our healthcare system and hospitality sector and we depend on them to make our country work.'
They added that the unrest was 'not welcome' and said they did not want the 'terrible tragedy to be used to divide people or fuel hostility'.
Meanwhile, fresh questions have emerged over police handling of the unrest after it was revealed officers had been repeatedly warned that lists containing migrant addresses were circulating online.
The addresses are understood to have been shared within far-Right networks since August last year and were reportedly first brought to the attention of the Police Service of Northern Ireland in January.
Volunteer groups monitoring anti-immigration activity online are said to have sent dozens of reports to police over the past eight months.
Campaigners claim versions of the list continued to circulate on social media and messaging apps in the days before violence erupted.
The PSNI this week warned against sharing private addresses online, saying the practice had left families and residents 'extremely distressed'.
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