Teenage Syrian bomb victim who fled to UK killed in knife attack

Yahoo

08-04-2025

A Syrian teenager who fled to the UK after being injured in a bombing was stabbed to death in a town centre in broad daylight, a court has heard.
Ahmad Mamdouh Al Ibrahim suffered a single stab wound to the neck in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, on Thursday afternoon.
Alfie Franco, 20, is accused of murder and is due to go on trial in October.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the family of the 16-year-old victim said: 'Ahmad fled war-torn Homs, Syria, after being injured in a bombing. He chose to come to the UK because he believed in the values of human rights, safety, and dignity. He was full of hope and dreamed of becoming a doctor – wanting to heal others after all he had endured.
'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. 'Our only wish now is to lay him to rest in his homeland, Syria. Thank you for helping us honour his memory.'
Ahmad was stabbed in Ramsden Street at about 3pm on April 3 and died in hospital.
Franco, of Kirkburton, appeared at Leeds Crown Court on Tuesday charged with murder and possessing a knife in a public place. He spoke only to confirm his name when he appeared via video link from HMP Doncaster for the 10-minute hearing. His right hand was in a blue plaster cast.
Prosecutor Bashir Ahmed told the court that Franco had been in the area with his pregnant girlfriend after they had been to a job centre when he was involved in a 'verbal altercation' with the victim.
Judge Robin Mairs refused Franco bail and set a trial date of Oct 2.
The defendant will appear at the same court for a plea and pre-trial hearing on May 7.
West Yorkshire Police previously stated that Ahmad had only recently moved to Huddersfield from South Wales.
The force said the incident was 'not gang related or linked to any wider dispute between groups' and warned the public to be wary of false information circulating on social media.
Police said a 22-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender have been released on bail.
Officers from the Homicide And Major Inquiry Team are supporting the victim's family.
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