Birmingham stabbing and Manchester machete brawl underscore surge in UK knife violence

An 18‑year‑old suffered serious injuries and a 17‑year‑old received facial wounds during a stabbing incident in Birmingham’s Victoria Square on 23 June. Police charged 25‑year‑old Niazal Rahmanullah with attempted murder, wounding, possession of a knife and violent disorder, and he appeared before Birmingham Magistrates Court on 11 July.

In a separate incident in Hulme, south Manchester, a confrontation between e‑bike riders and car occupants turned into a daylight machete fight captured on dash‑cam footage. Two men were seriously injured and remain in hospital. Police arrested a 22‑year‑old man and a 17‑year‑old boy on suspicion of affray, assault and drug‑related offences, and are searching for three additional suspects. Both investigations are ongoing.

"We've charged a man with attempted murder after a teenager was stabbed during disorder in Victoria Square," said a West Midlands Police statement. "Officers responded to an incident on Jackson Crescent, Hulme… Two men suffered serious injuries and remain in hospital for treatment," added a Greater Manchester Police spokesperson.