A Somali man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a knifeman appeared to attempt to behead a man in Belfast.

The suspect has been taken into custody after the victim, in his 40s, suffered “significant injuries” to his face, neck and back in what police described as a brutal attack.

Footage shared on social media, which is too graphic to publish, appears to show the suspect, in his 30s, pinning the man to the ground before stabbing him in the head several times.

Police were called to the scene on Kinnaird Avenue at around 10.30pm on Monday night, and reportedly recovered a knife from the scene.

Residents on the street in northern Belfast intervened in the attack, with one onlooker appearing to hit the knifeman repeatedly with a wooden hurling stick.

Sir Keir Starmer described the incident as “sickening”, adding: “I have absolutely no tolerance for abhorrent scenes of violence like this on our streets.

“My thoughts are first and foremost with the victim, and I thank the first responders, including members of the public who intervened.”

Nigel Farage, the Reform leader, called on authorities to release more information about the suspect, saying: “The public are entitled to the truth.”

Gavin Robinson, the leader of the DUP, said the attack was “barbaric” and “medieval”. He told BBC Radio Ulster: “What I have seen on social media over the last 12 hours is something you cannot unsee.

“It’s important that police give that information – there can be no space for half truths, there can be no space or rumour mills getting ahead of the facts,” he added.

Paul McCusker, an independent councillor, told BBC Northern Ireland that some residents had witnessed the “horrific and terrifying” incident and had attempted to stop it.

“One lady said she had to go to hospital herself because of the stress of witnessing such a brutal attack,” he said. “I’ve never seen an attack like this happen on the streets of north Belfast.”

The scene, outside an apartment complex, remained cordoned off on Tuesday morning, with markers on the ground showing where the attack took place.

Jon Burrows, the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, said the “barbaric attack” had “caused shock across not only Northern Ireland but the entire United Kingdom”.

Carl Whyte, the SDLP North Belfast councillor, urged people not to view or share the online footage “for the sake of the victim and his family”.

He said: “This was an appalling act of extreme violence. The victim of this attack has endured a terrifying ordeal and all our thoughts are with him and his family and we pray for his full recovery.”

Mr Whyte told The Belfast Telegraph: “I would also ask people not to engage with far-Right elements who will use this incident in an attempt to sow division. It’s important that people remain calm and allow justice to take its course.”

Anyone who witnessed the incident or has dashcam or CCTV footage has been urged to contact police.