A Sudanese asylum seeker accused of blinding a Belfast man in one eye during a stabbing attack appeared in court Wednesday as anti-immigrant unrest spread across Northern Ireland.

Hadi Alodid, 30, was ordered to be held in jail after appearing by video in Belfast Magistrates' Court, where prosecutors accused him of blinding Stephen Ogilvie in his left eye during Monday's attack.

Alodid was charged with attempted murder, threatening to kill a radiographer and possessing a knife. He declined legal representation through an Arabic interpreter and did not enter a plea.

The attack, which occurred shortly after 10:30 p.m. Monday in north Belfast and was captured in graphic video footage that quickly spread online, sparked outrage and fueled demonstrations that turned violent overnight. Police said Ogilvie, a man in his 40s, suffered serious injuries to his face, neck, back and eyes, and officers recovered what they believe was a kitchen knife from the scene.

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Video circulating online appeared to show members of the public confronting the attacker, including one person wielding a hurling stick. PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson praised the bystanders as "heroic," saying their intervention helped save the victim's life.

Police said Alodid entered Northern Ireland from the Republic of Ireland in 2023, applied for asylum and was granted a five-year permit to remain. Authorities initially identified him as Somali before later correcting his nationality to Sudanese.

PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said investigators had "no information to suggest that this was a terrorist-related incident" and were not seeking additional suspects.

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Masked men set fire to several homes they believed housed immigrants following the incident. They also burned trash bins, torched a Belfast bus and threw objects at police officers. Firefighters rescued multiple people from burning homes.

Police said they had declared a critical incident and increased their presence across Northern Ireland amid concerns about further unrest.

Anselme Shima, a Belfast resident originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said he witnessed the aftermath of the unrest near his home.

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"I've lived on my street for almost 10 years, I have a good relationship with my neighbors, but last night was a horrific one," he told Reuters. "We don't know what to do. I'm scared. Seeing this, I'm wondering if I'm next."

First Minister Michelle O'Neill of Sinn Fein described the unrest as "thuggery."

"Groups of masked men burning families out of their homes is nothing less than disgusting cowardice," she said.

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Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly of the Democratic Unionist Party said that "taking frustration at the evil actions of a person out on those who had no part in it is utterly wrong."

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the stabbing attack "sickening" and condemned violence targeting people because of their background.

"The scenes in Belfast last night were shocking and completely unacceptable," Starmer wrote on X. "There is no justification for the violence and disorder that we saw threatening our communities, nor for those who encouraged it, online or elsewhere. It is clear that people were targeted last night because of their background and I will not tolerate it."

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The unrest was amplified online by anti-immigration activists, including Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson.

Some politicians said the stabbing should prompt a review of the open border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, a highly sensitive issue because free movement across the border is a central pillar of the peace process that largely ended decades of violence known as "The Troubles." The conflict involving Irish republican and British loyalist militants, as well as U.K. security forces, left nearly 3,600 people dead before the 1998 peace accord.

Much of Tuesday's unrest took place in working-class areas where former paramilitary groups continue to wield influence.

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The case comes amid ongoing debate in Britain over another fatal stabbing that drew national attention in Southampton, England, last year.

Henry Nowak, who was White, was killed by Vickrum Digwa, a Sikh man who falsely claimed to police that he had been the victim of a racist assault by Nowak. Officers initially treated the wounded Nowak as a suspect before recognizing his injuries and attempting to save his life.

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Digwa was convicted of murder and sentenced last week to life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years. The case has fueled debate about policing and race, and a protest following the killing turned violent, with some participants attacking officers with chairs and rocks. Several people were later charged with violent disorder.

Fox News Digital's Efrat Lachter and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić says relations between Serbia and the United States have undergone a dramatic transformation under President Donald Trump, a shift he says has changed public perceptions in a country where memories of the 1999 NATO bombing campaign remain deeply rooted.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Vučić praised Trump's approach to the Balkans, arguing that the administration's focus on economic cooperation rather than political pressure resonated with many Serbs. "President Trump and his team so far were working very diligently and dedicatedly on the Western Balkans," Vučić said, adding that many Serbs view his administration very differently from previous U.S. governments.

"If you ask people in Serbia just to make a comparison between Clinton and Trump's administration, or Democrats to Republicans, you wouldn't believe it," Vučić said. "It would be 90 to 10 or 95 to 5."

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The comparison is particularly striking in Serbia, where many still associate the United States with NATO's 1999 bombing campaign during the Kosovo conflict, launched to stop Serbian forces' crackdown on ethnic Albanians in Kosovo and which remains one of the most consequential events in modern Serbian history.

Vučić said he recently extended an invitation to Trump to visit Serbia and predicted the American president would receive an enthusiastic welcome.

"I hope that we'll be able to host him," Vučić said. "More people will be ready to greet him and wait for him than he might even expect…I dare to say even more than hundreds of thousands of people."

The Serbian president said the improving relationship between Washington and Belgrade is increasingly centered on economics, investment and technological cooperation, and mutual conservative values.

According to Vučić, Serbia and the United States are preparing to launch a strategic dialogue that will focus on energy, infrastructure, artificial intelligence, defense cooperation and investment opportunities. Among the projects under discussion are energy infrastructure, liquefied natural gas cooperation, data centers and advanced computing technologies.

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The growing relationship comes as Serbia seeks to position itself as a regional economic hub while continuing its long-standing ambition of joining the European Union.

Vučić pointed to preparations for Expo 2027 in Belgrade with nearly 150 participating countries, as evidence of Serbia's growing international profile and economic ambitions.

Vučić, who has served as Serbia's dominant political figure since becoming prime minister in 2014 and president in 2017, pointed to the country's economic growth as evidence of its transformation. "Our GDP was 32 billion (euros) when I became the prime minister," Vučić said. "This year it's going to be over 100 billion euros., which is $120 billion."

Vučić's relationship with Trump dates back to the president's first term, when the White House brokered a series of economic normalization agreements between Serbia and Kosovo. Rather than focusing first on the politically explosive question of Kosovo's status, the Trump administration emphasized infrastructure projects, transportation links and investment aimed at improving ties between the two sides.

In September 2020, Vučić and then-Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti signed U.S.-brokered economic agreements at the White House that included commitments to expand rail and highway connections and promote investment. Trump described the deal as a breakthrough achieved by focusing on "job creation and economic growth" rather than longstanding political disputes.

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Asked whether he would consider recognizing Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and has been recognized by the United States under President George W. Bush and most European countries, if doing so unlocked Serbia's economic future and accelerated its path toward membership in the European Union, Vučić pushed back on the premise, arguing that economic cooperation and improved relations should come before discussions about political status.

"I'm not saying that I'm ready to violate my constitution… I have always been open to talks or compromising solutions, I have always been open to developing great economic ties and no doubt much better political ties. But I was not speaking about recognition of someone's independence," he said.

While Serbia continues to pursue membership in the European Union, the country has also maintained ties with Russia and China, a balancing act that has drawn scrutiny amid Russia's war in Ukraine and growing geopolitical tensions worldwide.

Asked whether Serbia could continue navigating between East and West in an increasingly divided world or would eventually need to choose a side, Vučić rejected the notion that countries must choose between competing geopolitical camps. Instead, he pointed to both his own visit to China and Trump's engagement with Beijing as examples of what he described as pragmatic diplomacy focused on national interests.

"President Trump didn't go there because of his vanity," Vučić said of Trump's visit to China. "He brought with him all the leading people of the United States of America for making better businesses, for earning more money for their companies."

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Vučić said he adopted a similar approach during his own visit, arguing that leaders should prioritize economic opportunities for their citizens rather than ideological alignments. "I'm coming from a small country. I was asking for more investments and was fighting for the interests of my people," he said.

The Serbian president said the same pragmatic approach should guide efforts to resolve ongoing conflicts in both Ukraine and the Middle East.

"It's always better to have thousands of days of negotiations than one day of war," he said.

Asked about tensions involving Iran and the wider conflict in the Middle East, Vučić reiterated Serbia's support for Israel, a position that increasingly distinguishes Belgrade from some European governments.

"I am the president of the country that is one of the very rare countries in Europe that is not hesitating to cooperate and collaborate with Israel," he said. "And it is proud to say this publicly and openly."

Vučić warned about what he described as rising antisemitism around the world.

"From time to time, I'm very much afraid to see a lot of antisemitic slogans and antisemitic banners," he said.

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"The Serbian president said Serbia has resisted those trends and pledged that it would continue to do so under his leadership."

"It does not happen in Serbia, and it won't happen as long as I'm the president."