Man denies murder of Syrian refugee stabbed to death in Huddersfield street
A man has denied the murder of a teenage refugee who was stabbed to death in a street in Huddersfield.
Syrian Ahmad Mamdouh Al Ibrahim, 16, died after being stabbed in the neck in Ramsden Street, Huddersfield, on Thursday 3 April.
Appearing at Leeds Crown Court via video link on Wednesday, 20-year-old Alfie Franco pleaded not guilty to murder.
A trial date was set for 6 October.
Ahmad had come to the UK after being injured in a bombing in Homs in war-torn Syria after being injured in a bombing. He had recently moved to Huddersfield from the South Wales area.
In a tribute, his family said he "believed in the values of human rights, safety, and dignity" and had dreamed of becoming a doctor."
"He had just begun settling into his new life with his uncle, adjusting to a new language, a new home, and a future he was excited to build.
"Ahmad was kind, gentle, and carried so much promise. Losing him has left an unimaginable emptiness in our hearts. We never thought that the place he saw as a safe haven would be where his life would end."
A fundraiser launched after Ahmad's death raised more than £15,000 to pay for his body to be repatriated to Syria.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Israel raids a Syrian village and detains suspected militants; 1 person is killed
Israel 's army raided a village in southern Syria early Thursday to arrest several alleged agents of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Syrian officials said one person was killed and warned that such incursions stoke regional tensions, while villagers denied having any ties to Hamas. The Israeli military said those detained during the pre-dawn raid on Beit Jin were suspected of planning attacks against Israel, and that weapons also were found in the area. They were taken back to Israel for questioning, the military said. One person was killed and seven captured in the operation, Syria's Interior Ministry said, while the father of the young man killed said he had a history of mental illness. Since the fall of President Bashar Assad 's government in early December, Israeli forces have moved into several areas in southern Syria and conducted hundreds of airstrikes throughout the country, destroying much of the assets of the Syrian army. Local broadcaster Syria TV described Thursday's raid as being carried out by about 100 Israeli troops who stormed Beit Jin, near the border with Lebanon, and called out the names of several people targeted for arrest through loudspeakers. Syria's Interior Ministry said such incursions spike tensions in the region. 'Such repeated provocative acts are a flagrant violation of Syria's sovereignty," the ministry said in a statement. Village official Walid Okasha told The Associated Press that Israeli troops had entered the outskirts of Beit Jin in recent months, but that this was the first time they entered the center of the village. He added that Thursday's operation came four days after an Israeli drone strike hit a car in the village, inflicting casualties. 'They came targeting specific people,' said Okasha, who denied that Hamas members were in the village. He said the seven people taken to Israel were all Syrians and that two of them were members of the country's new security forces. He said the man killed suffered from mental illness. Ahmad Hammadi identified the victim as his son, and told the AP that he had history of schizophrenia. He said his son was shot dead in front of his home, and that he had no links to Hamas. He said two of the captured men were his nephews. Hussein Safadi said his two sons, Ahmad, 32, and Mohammed, 34, were captured adding that his younger son, who raises goats, had lived in Lebanon for years until recently. He said his younger son was a member of the armed opposition against Assad and recently joined the security forces of the new authorities. As for why his sons were seized by Israeli forces, 'We don't know the reasons," Safadi said. During a visit to France last month, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said that his country is holding indirect talks with Israel to prevent hostilities from getting out of control.
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Scottish Sun
I watched ISIS burn my pilot brother alive in a cage – I begged the air force to bomb jail so he'd be spared cruel death
His mother was hospitalised after hearing of her son's cruel killing and his sister was diagnosed with diabetes LEFT TO DIE I watched ISIS burn my pilot brother alive in a cage – I begged the air force to bomb jail so he'd be spared cruel death Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE brother of a pilot who was burned alive in Syria by ISIS said he begged air forces to bomb the jail where he was being held to spare him a cruel death. Speaking at the Stockholm district court on Wednesday, Jawdat al-Kassasbeh recounted the turmoil he and his family have endured since his brother Maaz al-Kassasbeh was savagely killed. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 Muath Al-Kasasbeh, 26, pictured trapped inside the cage in the horrific ISIS execution video 6 The gruesome 2015 footage showed him being set alight 6 Militants with the captured pilot Credit: AP:Associated Press The Royal Jordanian Air Force pilot was shot down in Raqqa, Syria, in December 2014. A few weeks later, ISIS released a video of al-Kasasbeh being burned alive in a cage. Osama Krayem, a 32-year-old Swede already serving long prison sentences for his role in the Paris and Brussels attacks in 2015 and 2016, is on trial in Stockholm for his role in the pilot's killing. The slain pilot's brother told the court of the physical and psychological trauma he and his family have suffered since his sibling's death. He said he learned of his capture through a relative who worked at Jordan's foreign ministry and immediately headed to the air force headquarters. He said: "There, I see that the head of the air force and the operations teams are having a meeting on the subject... There were large screens showing images of Syria. He told me: 'I think he's in this house', "Psychologically, I was not doing well at that moment. So I told the head of the air force that ... I thought (IS fighters) would kill him in a horrible way. "I asked if it would be possible to bomb the house so he could be spared an atrocious death," he added. Jawdat later found out about his brother's death on TV. He said: "It was a shock. I watched the whole video but in bits. I couldn't watch the entire video until 2021." He added that the cruel nature in which his brother was killed took a massive toll on the whole family, in particular his mother who had to be hospitalised. I fought ISIS in Syria & I know bloodthirsty thugs are plotting comeback after fall of Assad - Europe must be ready, says Brit fighter Jawdat also puts his sister's diabetes down to his brother's torturous death, as well as his dad's hypertension and poor mental health. The court hearing comes as another ISIS leader believed to have also been involved in burning the Jordanian pilot to death was captured. Syrian national Saddam al-Jamal was captured in Iraq after being lured from Syria by intelligence officers using the phone of Ismail al-Ethawi, an ISIS lieutenant captured in February. Tipped as a future leader of the terrorist organisation, al-Jamal was known for his brutality. Jordanian authorities accused him of also being behind the brutal execution of downed pilot. A former commander in the Free Syrian Army which fought against President Bashar al-Assad's forces, al-Jamal had also taken part in multiple atrocities including a 2014 massacre in Deir Ezzor, Syria, in which 700 members of a tribe opposed to ISIS were killed. He also ordered the execution of children, sometimes in front of their parents. Al-Ethawi, who was captured in February, was a top aide to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Intelligence officers used his account on Telegram, a social media app favoured by terror organisations because it encrypts messages, to lure the other four high-ranking leaders out of Syria. The five of them were on a group chat together. Iraqi security adviser Hisham al Hashemi told The Telegraph that Iraqi troops were surprised to see the four senior senior jihadists travel on motorcycles, having expecting them to arrive in a motorcade. Al-Hashemi also said that American troops also took part in the operation. ISIS field commanders Mohamed al-Qadeer, Issam Abdel Kader al-Zawba'i and Omar Shehab El-Karboul were also captured in the sting, which has been praised by Donald Trump. 'Five Most Wanted leaders of ISIS just captured,' the US president posted on Twitter last week. 6 Jordanian pilot executed by ISIS 6 Saddam al-Jamal pictured in images broadcast on Iraqi TV
Metro
6 days ago
- Metro
Tommy Robinson kicked out of London restaurant because ‘staff didn't want to serve him'
Tommy Robinson's entourage is upset after being kicked out of a restaurant for making staff 'feel uncomfortable'. The right wing activist – real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – was out eating at the Hawksmoor restaurant near Regent Street, central London, before staff realised who he was. Footage taken by EDL member Guramit Singh Kalirai, who was dining with Robinson, shows the restaurant manager explaining 'staff felt uncomfortable'. Kalirai replied: 'Is it because of the colour of my skin?' The manager responded: 'No, no, no. We have a duty of care to our members of staff. We like to look after our people, as I'm sure you can understand. 'I'm very sorry. I hope it hasn't inconvenienced you.' The footage was posted to X, with Kalirai saying: 'Just been kicked out of Hawksmoor steak house for no reason. Literally just had our starters.' The manager could be seen handing Robinson a business card with the CEO of Hawksmoor's details on it 'if he has any questions', and told him the restaurant will cover the cost of the drinks. Metro has contacted the Hawksmoor for comment. On Thursday Robinson appeared at Westminster Magistrates where he denied two counts of harassment causing fear of violence in August 2024. Prosecutors said he harassed two news reporters, and sharing multiple posts about them on his social media. Robinson was released from prison last month after he was jailed for repeatedly lied about a Syrian refugee. But he had his sentence reduced, and was released from HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes. check our news page.
