Teenager killed in Sheffield crash came to UK months ago 'for a better future'
Why you can trust Sky News
A teenager who died after being hit by a car in Sheffield had recently come to the UK from Yemen looking "for a better future", his loved ones said.
Abdullah Yaser Abdullah Al Yazidi, 16, wanted to be "friends with everybody" and would "light up" people's faces with a big smile", according to his relatives and friends.
After arriving in the UK from Yemen two or three months ago, he had devoted himself to learning English ahead of starting at college in September, they said.
His relative, Saleh Alsirkal, runs a corner shop that the teenager popped into just before he was hit by an Audi car on Wednesday.
"His dad brought him over to change his life, to get a better future for his son, but this has happened and destroyed everything," said Mr Alsirkal.
1:04
Mr Alsirkal said Abdullah was a "kind boy" who just wanted to look after his family, including his three sisters and was really enjoying learning English.
"Every time he had a new word to learn, he was so excited about it," he said.
"It meant a lot to him and he learned quick. Sometimes he would stay in the shop just so he could talk to people. He tried to be friends with everyone."
"He wanted to be the main guy for the family. He was 16 years old, but he was a clever man," said Mr Alsirkal.
Abdullah's friend, Oasmah Thabet, said the teenager "really cared for his family".
"You can really tell the character of somebody by the support they give to their family," he said.
"To the people who would come around and just say hello to him, he would light up their faces with a big smile.
"I'd like to think that we related in the sense that both our families migrated from Yemen to here.
"The reason our family came here was for a better life - to live the dream.
"For something to happen like this and for your dreams to be cut so short, it's a tragic loss for the family and it's just a shock that can't be described."
The teenager was walking along Staniforth Road, in the Darnall area of Sheffield, when he was hit by the car.
The grey Audi also hit an e-bike, leaving an 18-year-old man with serious injuries, before leaving the scene.
Police are still questioning a 20-year-old man on suspicion of murder and attempted murder after he was arrested in Kent on Thursday.
A 26-year-old man was rearrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, after initially being arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
"This is a heartbreaking case in which a completely innocent boy has lost his life," said Detective Chief Inspector Benjamin Wood.
"Our thoughts remain with Abdullah's family and our priority is securing justice for them.
"A murder investigation has been launched and we have a team of detectives working around the clock.
"I am renewing our message to not share footage of this incident which may cause further distress to Abdullah's loved ones."
DCI Wood asked for anyone with footage or information to contact officers and said he was keen to hear from the riders of two electric bikes who were in the area at the time.
Two people, a man, aged 46, and a woman, aged 45, arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, have both been bailed pending further inquiries, police said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
CCTV after shoplifting incident in Booths store
Police have released a CCTV image of a woman they want to speak to after a theft from a supermarket in North Yorkshire. The force said items were taken from the Booths store on Marshall Way, Ripon, on 9 May. The woman, who is pictured wearing a baseball cap and gilet and carrying a handbag, could help with the investigation, a spokesperson said. Anyone with information about the theft, or anyone who recognises the woman, is being asked to contact police. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Pro-Palestinian activist who avoided prosecution after chanting 'I love the 7th of October' is Islamist refugee granted asylum in Britain
A pro-Palestine activist who avoided prosecution after he chanted 'I love the 7th of October' is a Muslim refugee granted asylum in the UK, it emerged today. Mohammad al-Mail, a 27-year-old Kuwaiti national granted refugee status in the UK in 2017, also shouted 'I like an organisation that starts with H' through a megaphone at an anti-Israel protest in Swiss Cottage, north-west London, last September. Mr Al-Mail was arrested by police after the chants over alleged terrorism offences, but after eight months a decision was taken by the CPS not to charge him. He is said to have avoided prosecution by telling officers that the organisation he claimed to love was actually the Home Office, and not terror group Hamas. This is despite him operating a campaign group which states its aim is to achieve 'Islamic supremity' and which has criticised terror groups such as Al-Qaeda for failing to advance global jihad. Meanwhile at the same rally, a Jewish counter-protester was also arrested for holding a placard mocking deaths during attacks involving explosive pagers in Lebanon. The attack targeted Hezbollah members and leaders, and the placard depicted the leader of the proscribed terror group holding a pager, with the word 'beep' repeated three times. The man was charged over the incident in May, but the case has since been dropped. Earlier this year, Mr Al-Mail appeared to make light of the accusations against him, telling an Arabic language podcast the case 'fell apart', the Telegraph reports. He described his answer to police when asked what he meant by the letter H: 'Immediately, I answered, 'It could be the Home Office', you know, the ministry of the interior. 'I love the ministry of the interior', and so on. 'Truly, as the saying goes, 'The worst calamity is the one that makes you laugh'. The Met referred the case twice to the CPS, but both times it decided not to press charges - reportedly due to the issue of it relying on 'speculation' to infer support for a proscribed terror organisation. During the podcast, Mr Al-Mail told listeners to 'take advantage' of October 7, which saw 1,200 people killed by an Hamas incursion into Israel. The resulting war has resulted in almost 57,000 Gazans being killed, many of whom civilians. 'Not every day is like October 7,' Mr Al-Mail added. 'If an opportunity arises, we must fully exploit it. If you strike, make it hurt.' The refugee's views are reiterated by his campaign group Upper Hand Organization, which lists its 'pillars' as 'rightism' and 'Islamic Supremacy'. The English version of his site reveals the group was founded in 2016 in Kuwait, before being banned. It states: 'The Upper Hand Organization is a global movement dedicated to working with and for Muslims worldwide through all means and fields - committed to channeling resources toward strategic projects to achieve Islamic dominance.' It adds that the group 'operates as an entity that asserts its responsibilities extend beyond national borders, with a revolutionary agenda grounded in Islam.' In November, some two months after the march, Mr Al-Mail told his supporters he would surrender to police over the chants but told his followers to 'continue the path of Jihad', claiming peaceful followers of Islam are 'slaves and dwarves'. He added: 'What is coming to you is terrifying – either our annihilation or yours.' After leaving Kuwait, Mr Al-Mail was convicted of 13 offences including defaming the Emir and sentenced in his absence to 53 years in prison. Claiming asylum, he said these were politically and religiously motivated and was granted allowed to remain in the UK on May 5 2017. He later received a partial pardon. Shadow Policing Minister and Conservative MP Chris Philp told the Telegraph: 'The police must urgently re-investigate the incident with a view to re-arresting the man concerned'. He added: 'I am deeply worried that someone came here, was granted asylum and then abused the UK's generosity by expressing extremist views. This is why our human rights and asylum laws need to be changed.' Lord Walney, the Government's former extremism tsar, said the revelations are 'disturbing and raises serious questions for the Metropolitan Police'. 'The fact officers were apparently unaware of this open source material when they submitted the case to the Crown Prosecution Service suggests an alarming lack of rigour in their initial investigation,' he said. 'In light of this, it is vital that the police reopen the case to ensure national security can be protected.' It is understood the CPS is 'urgently' reviewing the decision not to charge Mr Al-Mail.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Ottershaw dispersal order after anti-social behaviour cases
Surrey Police says it has put a dispersal order in place in a Runnymede order was in place from 17:00 BST on Friday in Ottershaw and will remain in effect until 08:00 on order follows "several cases of anti-social behaviour in the area", according to the orders allow police to direct people away from a specified area and arrest those who refuse to leave. Surrey Police says officers will be patrolling the area while the order is in follows Epsom and Ewell Borough Council granting officers temporary powers to tackle anti-social behaviour ahead of the Epsom Derby.
