Police in Belfast, Northern Ireland, continued clashing with immigration protestors on Wednesday following a brutal attack in which a Sudanese immigrant allegedly slashed the head and neck of a man he'd pinned on the ground.

Law enforcement used water cannons and vehicles to push back a large group of protestors, some of which hurled objects at the police, the Associated Press reported.  Video footage in Belfast has shown buildings on fire, clashes with police, and some reported efforts by rioters to search homes for immigrants.

Video of the assault that sparked the protests appears to show the attacker attempting to behead the victim. Members of the public tried to fight off the man before police arrived.

Police arrested Hadi Alodid, 30, and he is being charged with blinding the left eye of Stephen Ogilvie during the attack, which was police say was done with a kitchen knife. 

He is also charged with possessing a knife and threatening to kill a radiographer who was treating an injury he received to his hand during the attack. Alodid allegedly told the hospital staffer, “I’ve killed someone, I don’t know if they are dead,” before threatening to kill the radiographer. 

The incident follows the controversy in the UK over the death of Henry Nowak at the hands of a Sikh immigrant.