LONDON: Two men have been arrested following the fatal stabbing of a Saudi student in the English city of Cambridge on Friday night.
Police were called to the Mill Park area of the city at 11:27 p.m. on Aug. 1 following reports of violence.
20-year-old Mohammed Al-Qasim was found with serious injuries and was pronounced dead at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, despite the best effort of paramedics on the scene, a Cambridgeshire Police statement said.
A 21-year-old man from Cambridge has been arrested on suspicion of murder, while a 50-year-old man, also from Cambridge, has been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender and both remain in police custody, the statement added.
“We would like to thank the public for their support and assistance following our appeal,” said Detective Inspector Dale Mepstead from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit.
“The investigation remains ongoing, and we continue to urge anyone with information who has not yet come forward to contact us.”
The force said that Al-Qasim had been on a 10-week placement studying in Cambridge. No motive for the attack was given and it was being treated as an “unprovoked attack,” police added.
The street where the attack took place consists largely of apartment blocks and student housing, where people have laid floral tributes on the pavement. (Screenshot/ITV News Anglia)
EF International Language Campuses Cambridge, where the victim was studying, confirmed his death in a statement.
“We are deeply saddened at the death of one of our adult students,” the language school said. “We are working closely with the local police, who are investigating the incident and have confirmed they made arrests.
“At this time, we understand the attack was carried out by a member of the public in an isolated incident.
“The safety and wellbeing of our students is our top priority. We are providing support to all students and staff affected by this tragic event and have organized counselling sessions.
“Our thoughts are with the student’s loved ones during this incredibly difficult time and we have offered our full support. We will not be commenting further while the investigation is ongoing.”
The street where the attack took place consists largely of apartment blocks and student housing, where people have laid floral tributes on the pavement.
A message, on a piece of paper taped to a barrier behind the tributes, said “may your soul be at peace” and had heart shapes drawn on it, according to reports.
It also said “inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajioon,” which is part of a Qur’anic verse and an Arabic phrase translating to “Surely to Allah we belong and to Him we return.”
Cambridgeshire Police have asked anyone with information to contact them via the web chat service at www.cambs.police.uk or by calling 101 and quoting Operation Brackley.
