A Moroccan migrant who had been in the asylum system for more than three years has been found guilty of murdering a pensioner in Hartlepool in “revenge” for Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Ahmed Alid, 45, stabbed 70-year-old Terence Carney to death in the street in a random attack just days after the Oct 7 Hamas terror attacks.
Minutes earlier, he had stabbed and wounded Javed Nouri, a housemate and fellow asylum seeker, shouting “Allahu Akbar” as he repeatedly knifed the Christian convert.
Alid, a devout Muslim, was born in Fez and raised in Algeria. He came to Britain in 2020 after spending more than a decade drifting through Europe.
Germany had already turned down an asylum bid, but he made a fresh application in the UK, claiming he would face persecution if he returned home.
But more than three years after lodging his bid with the Home Office, Alid’s claim had still not been settled when he launched his attack. Questions have been raised about both the validity of his asylum claim and the length of time it had taken to process.
Jill Mortimer, the Conservative MP for Hartlepool, said: “This shocking murder has shaken the entire town. The question of course remains, though, why this dangerous individual was here. Now the trial is over I will be seeking answers to ensure this doesn’t happen again on our streets.”
A Home Office spokesman refused to discuss Alid’s case or explain why his application had not been resolved, saying: “It is a long-standing Government policy that we do not comment on individual cases.”
In December 2022, Rishi Sunak promised to tackle the asylum backlog, which included almost 100,000 cases that were awaiting an initial decision, as part of his pledge to stop the boats.
In January this year the Home Office claimed victory, saying the commitment to clear the legacy asylum backlog had been achieved, with 112,000 cases processed in 2023.
However, doubts were raised over the Government’s claims when officials admitted 4,500 of the cases had been reviewed but not yet decided, claiming it was “impossible” to do so within the timescale.
Alid claimed he had left North Africa for Spain in 2007 and spent years travelling around Europe, living in France, Italy, Germany, Scandinavia, Austria and the Netherlands.
He had been jailed in Germany for not having a valid visa or passport before being kicked out of the country, and travelled to Britain from Holland by ferry in 2020.
After applying for asylum he was placed in Home Office-approved accommodation in Hartlepool, where he regularly clashed with the other tenants over trivial matters.
‘Laughing at Hamas attacks’
But his housemates reported a concerning and sinister change in his behaviour following the Oct 7 attacks in Israel.
Mr Nouri, who survived the knife attack on him, later told police how Alid had revelled in the horrors committed by Hamas, saying: “He was sitting on the kitchen chair and checking the news on his mobile phone. He was laughing, and every time they would kill somebody he would praise God.”
Two days later, Mr Nouri attended Hartlepool police station to alert police to his concerns, making an appointment to speak with an officer the following week.
He met officers, along with a translator, on Oct 13 and warned them about Alid’s behaviour, mentioning that he had been carrying a knife in the kitchen of the house. But as no specific threats were reported at that time, the housing manager agreed to talk to Alid and warn him that he would be evicted if there was any repeat.
The role of Cleveland Police was investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, who cleared the force of any wrongdoing. A spokesman for the IOPC said: “Based on the evidence we considered, we found the Cleveland Police officers and staff involved acted appropriately in the circumstances.”
The trial heard that on Oct 15, Alid broke into the bedroom of his housemate and attacked him while he slept. He then ran out into the street and, after coming across Mr Carney, who was on an early morning walk, repeatedly stabbed him.
Following his arrest, and while in a holding cell at Middlesbrough police station, Alid launched into a speech in Arabic saying that “Allah willing, Gaza would return to be an Arab country”.
During a subsequent police interview, he told officers he had launched his attack because “Israel had killed innocent children”.
Alid admitted Mr Carney had been “innocent”, but justified the attack by saying Britain had created the “Zionist entity” of Israel and should make them leave Gaza, adding: “They killed children and I killed an old man.”
In a statement, Mr Carney’s family said: “We would not want anyone else to have to go through what we have had to go through over the last six months, and what we will continue to go through for the rest of our lives. For us, things will never be the same again.
“We have watched the whole trial intently, and whilst today’s guilty verdict will not bring back Terence, our beloved husband, father, and grandfather, we can take some small comfort in knowing that justice has been served.”
After the trial, Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley, the head of Counter Terrorism Policing North-East, said: “The horrific attacks in Hartlepool were unprovoked and deeply disturbing.
“I have no doubt that the swift response of the attending officers prevented further harm or loss of life that morning. We’re grateful for their bravery in the face of a dangerous and unpredictable suspect.”
https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiYWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRlbGVncmFwaC5jby51ay9uZXdzLzIwMjQvMDQvMjUvYXN5bHVtLXNlZWtlci1yZXZlbmdlLWlzcmFlbC1oYW1hcy13YXItZ3VpbHR5LW11cmRlci_SAQA?oc=5
2024-04-25 20:00:00Z
CBMiYWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRlbGVncmFwaC5jby51ay9uZXdzLzIwMjQvMDQvMjUvYXN5bHVtLXNlZWtlci1yZXZlbmdlLWlzcmFlbC1oYW1hcy13YXItZ3VpbHR5LW11cmRlci_SAQA
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