Asylum Seeker Attacks Ex-Muslim Roommate in UK, 'Motivated by Gaza'

Submitted by on

An asylum seeker was arrested in the United Kingdom for attempting to murder his housemate who converted from Islam to Christianity as well as a pensioner, with the murderer allegedly motivated by the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

45-year-old Ahmed Alid, originally from Morocco, was arrested for killing 70-year-old Terrence Carney in the Hartlepool town center as well as for attempting to murder his housemate, Javed Nouri. He was also detained for assaulting two female police officers who interviewed him after his arrest.

Alid denied attacking Carney and Nouri and assaulting the two police officers who interviewed him. He pleaded not guilty to the charges filed against him. But he allegedly told the police that he killed Carney and Nouri “to further his desire that Palestine would be free from Zionists." The trial against Alid is ongoing and is scheduled to last three weeks. 

Jonathan Sandiford KC, the trial’s prosecutor, told a jury at the Teesside Crown Court on the morning of April 11th that Alid broke into Nouri’s room while the victim was asleep at their shared residence in 4 Wharton Terrace, Hartlepool, on October 15, 2023, at 4 in the morning.

Sandiford told the jury that Alid “armed himself with two knives” and “the first thing Mr. Nouri heard was the defendant kicking the door in and shouting, 'Allahu Akbar,’” meaning “God is Great” in Arabic. Alid then stabbed Nouri in his upper chest near to his heart. Although Nouri said he felt no pain, “blood came pouring out,” and Alid “stabbed him in the chest again.”

The prosecutor continued, saying that Alid continued to stab Nouri as he tried to fight back and get out of his bedroom, adding that Alid “tried to stab him in the neck as Mr Nouri was on the floor, but the knife caught Mr Nouri in the mouth." 

A recording of the 999 call made by one of Alid and Nouri’s housemates was also played, where screaming was heard as the housemate asked for an ambulance and police straight away, as the "two men are fighting with a knife."

The prosecution established that Alid attacked Nouri after he discovered that Nouri was an ex-Muslim who converted to Christianity and attended a local church in Hartlepool. Sandiford also said the defendant initially thought Nouri was Muslim as he was keen on cleaning, and for Alid, “cleanliness was a sign of a good Muslim.”

Things began to change when Nouri started to attend church, and it became clear to Alid that Nouri was a Christian convert, “therefore, in the defendant’s eyes, an apostate who deserved to die,” Sandiford added. Both Alid and Nouri were asylum seekers who lived in Home Office-approved or provided accommodation, along with two others. Housemates at the property believed that Alid followed an extreme view of Islam.

After attempting to kill Nour, Alid was also accused of leaving his shared accommodation and fatally stabbing Terence Carney “several times in his chest and body” as the pensioner went out for a morning walk in Hartlepool.

Sandiford said Alid was motivated by “the conflict in Gaza and to further his desire that Palestine would be free from the Zionists, by which he meant Israel,” adding that “the defendant said he would have killed more people if he had been able to do so.”

The jury continues to hear the prosecution’s opening remarks on the case.

See More Atheist News

If you like our posts, subscribe to the Atheist Republic newsletter to get exclusive content delivered weekly to your inbox. Also, get the book "Why There is No God" for free.

Click Here to Subscribe

Donating = Loving

Heart Icon

Bringing you atheist articles and building active godless communities takes hundreds of hours and resources each month. If you find any joy or stimulation at Atheist Republic, please consider becoming a Supporting Member with a recurring monthly donation of your choosing, between a cup of tea and a good dinner.

Or make a one-time donation in any amount.