A fundraising campaign for a Belfast man who bravely intervened during a brutal knife attack has raised thousands of dollars, with donors commending his courageous actions.
More than £16,000 (AU$30,500) has been collected for Matt McKiernan, 32, who was captured on video confronting an alleged assailant with a hurling stick during a stabbing incident in Northern Ireland on Tuesday, local time.
The GoFundMe page was created by Niall Donnan, who said he wanted to acknowledge McKiernan's bravery after seeing footage of the attack circulate online.
"I could only bear to watch two or three seconds of the video. I live just 30 minutes away. I just thought this guy deserves something for his bravery, so I just got on it as soon as possible," Donnan told Metro.
The fundraiser quickly gained momentum, with dozens of people contributing money to buy McKiernan a pint.
"I have set up this GoFundMe so the people of our land can show our support to Matt for his incredible bravery and courage," the fundraising page stated. "One hundred per cent of donations will be sent to Matt directly. Let's buy him a pint!"
Police have also praised those who intervened, describing their actions as an example of "incredible bravery and community spirit."
McKiernan has since spoken publicly about the incident after being identified as the man wielding a traditional Irish hurling stick.
Graphic footage shared online appeared to show a man, later identified by authorities as a Sudanese national, pinning a victim to the ground while repeatedly stabbing him on a street in Belfast on Tuesday.
"He's trying to cut his head off," a witness can be heard shouting in the video.
McKiernan told the Daily Mail that he and a friend rushed towards the scene after noticing the disturbance. His friend, who has training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, initially moved in to separate the two men.
"As he got closer, he saw the knife. It looked to be a serrated steak knife but with a broken handle," McKiernan said.
Realising the seriousness of the situation, he grabbed a hurling stick that had been left in his vehicle after taking his son to training earlier in the evening.
McKiernan said he and another man, identified as Andre, were eventually able to force the alleged attacker to retreat and drop the knife before police arrived.
The victim, a man in his 40s, suffered serious injuries to his face, neck, back and eye area. He was taken to hospital in a critical condition.
Police later arrested a 30-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder. Authorities have said the suspect is believed to be a Sudanese national who travelled from Sudan to Paris, then to Dublin, before arriving in Belfast by bus in February 2023.
According to Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable Jon Boutcher, the man applied for asylum after arriving in the UK and was granted leave to remain in September 2023 for a five-year period.
