logo
Man charged with murder of Saudi Arabian student in UK

Man charged with murder of Saudi Arabian student in UK

The National3 days ago
A man has been charged with the murder of a student from Saudi Arabia who was stabbed to death while on a 10-week placement in the UK.
Police were called to Mill Park in Cambridge at 11.27pm on Friday following reports of violence.
Mohammed Algasim, from Saudi Arabia, was pronounced dead at the scene at 12.01am on Saturday despite the best efforts of paramedics, Cambridgeshire Police said.
The force said that the 20-year-old had been on a 10-week placement studying in Cambridge. EF International Language Campuses Cambridge, a private school offering English language courses to overseas students, said it was 'deeply saddened' to confirm one of its adult students had died.
Cambridgeshire Police said on Monday that it is believed Mr Algasim was 'stabbed in an unprovoked attack'. A postmortem examination is due to take place on Tuesday.
The force said that Chas Corrigan, of Cambridge, has been charged with murder and possession of a knife in a public place. The 21-year-old is due to appear at Peterborough Magistrates' Court later on Monday.
A 50-year-old man, also from Cambridge, was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. He remains in custody.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Palestine Action claims 200 arrested supporters have not been charged
Palestine Action claims 200 arrested supporters have not been charged

The National

time18 hours ago

  • The National

Palestine Action claims 200 arrested supporters have not been charged

None of the 200 demonstrators arrested in the UK for supporting Palestine Action in recent weeks have been charged, campaigners have claimed, as they sought support for a protest on Saturday. The direct action protest group was designated a terrorist organisation in July after it claimed to be behind millions of pounds worth of damage at a Royal Air Force base. The High Court has agreed to review the decision in November. Until then, the ban means that membership of, or support for, Palestine Action is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison, under the Terrorism Act 2000. But Tim Crosland, a spokesman for the campaign group Defend Our Juries, said the group believes potential legal claims against police should proscription be deemed unlawful lay behind the lack of prosecutions. 'Nobody has been charged. It's important to say, and there's a sense that there aren't going to be any charges till the other side of the judicial review,' Mr Crosland said at a press briefing on Wednesday. More than 500 people have committed to holding a sign saying 'I Support Palestine Action' in Central London on Saturday, he said. Mr Crosland, who is organising the protest alongside Palestine Action's co-founder Huda Ammori, said they had received advice from solicitors that those arrested would be able to make legal claims against the police for 'unlawful arrest' if the proscription order is eventually struck down. 'We've specifically asked them: if the order is struck down in November, does that open up the possibility for legal claims against the police for unlawful arrest and for trespass to people's property? And the answer to that was yes,' Mr Crosland said. Ms Ammori said she was hopeful the decision would be overturned by then, but acknowledged there was a 'substantial risk' in showing support for the group. 'Obviously there is a substantial risk, but you know, we do hope to be successful in this legal challenge,' she said. The British activist, of Palestinian and Iraqi heritage, sought an injunction to delay the proscription in early July, which was denied by the High Court. Last week, she was granted her bid to challenge the ban, though the terrorism designation will remain in place until then. Further demonstrations are being planned for the coming months until the High Court ruling. 'If arresting and prosecuting more than 500 people is an absurd waste of public resources, that's not on us. We're not the ones who made this law. We're not the ones doing the arresting. We will keep going as long as people keep wanting to take part in this action,' Mr Crosland said. The proscription has caused outcry, particularly from veteran campaigners who say that direct action has a long history in British politics, going all the way back to the Suffragettes. Among those arrested was 83-year-old priest Sue Parfitt and an 81-year-old former magistrate. Angie Zelter, a veteran peace protestor, said there was visible 'discomfort' among the police making arrests at demonstrations supporting Palestine Action. 'There's a lot of discomfort amongst the police, because they are making a mockery of the definition of terrorism,' she said, adding that she plans to attend the demonstration on Saturday. Discussing the arrests, Mr Crosland said that in Derry, Edinburgh, Kendal and Chichester, police did not act. "It shows they can exercise common sense if they want to," he said. "In London, people have been arrested under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act, which is the lesser of the two possible charges, and somewhere between six and 12 hours after a police interview in the police cells, people have been arrested without charge. "In Cardiff, people were arrested under Section 12, which is an offence punishable with 14 years' imprisonment - doing exactly the same thing, holding the same sign, quietly sitting - they were held in police custody beyond the 24-hour maximum. The time was extended under the terrorism laws while those people's houses were raided." The Metropolitan Police have been contacted by The National over the claims it is holding back on bringing charges. However, it has warned it would arrest demonstrators on Saturday and suggested that they were attempting to put the UK's overcrowded criminal justice system under further pressure. 'We are aware that the organisers of Saturday's planned protest are encouraging hundreds of people to turn out with the intention of placing a strain on the police and the wider criminal justice system,' a representative of the force said. 'The Met is very experienced in dealing with large-scale protests, including where the protest activity crosses into criminality requiring arrests. Our officers will continue to apply the law in relation to Palestine Action as we have done since its proscription. Anyone showing support for the group can expect to be arrested.' The move to ban Palestine Action came after two Voyager aircraft were damaged at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on June 20, which police said caused about £7 million worth of damage. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action three days later, saying the vandalism of the planes was "disgraceful" and the group had a "long history of unacceptable criminal damage".

Passing doctors tried to save life of Saudi student stabbed in Cambridge, UK court hears
Passing doctors tried to save life of Saudi student stabbed in Cambridge, UK court hears

The National

timea day ago

  • The National

Passing doctors tried to save life of Saudi student stabbed in Cambridge, UK court hears

Doctors tried to save the life of a student from Saudi Arabia after he was stabbed in the neck and lay bleeding to death in the English city of Cambridge, a court was told. Mohammed Yousef Alqassem, 20, was killed while he was on a 10-week placement at an English language school in Cambridge. Chas Corrigan, 21, appeared in court on Wednesday charged with the murder of Mr Alqassem and was refused bail. His trial has been set for February next year. Prosecutor Gavin Burrell told Cambridge Crown Court that the victim collapsed after sustaining an 11.5cm wound to his neck, which pierced his jugular vein. 'The victim bled out and died of haemorrhaging at the scene. Junior doctors who were nearby tried to assist,' said Mr Burrell. Defence barrister Shahnawaz Khan said the accused was born and brought up in Cambridge and worked as a landscaper. Mr Corrigan intends to plead not guilty, said the barrister. Cambridgeshire Police have said that its officers were called to Mill Park in the town at 11.27pm on Friday following reports of violence. Mr Alqassem's family are in Cambridge to bring his body back to Saudi Arabia, his uncle Majed Abalkhail told The National. 'Mohammed's father is currently in Cambridge, accompanied by some of his brothers, to follow up on the procedures for bringing Mohammed home, in co-ordination with the Saudi embassy,' he said. Mr Abalkhail, who has said he believed the UK is no longer safe for visitors, paid tribute to his nephew. 'He had dreams of studying medicine and came to the UK with a heart full of hope and a passion for learning. Unfortunately, his journey ended in tragedy. His family and community are devastated by this horrific loss.'

Titan sub implosion: Dubai resident's death was preventable, report finds
Titan sub implosion: Dubai resident's death was preventable, report finds

The National

timea day ago

  • The National

Titan sub implosion: Dubai resident's death was preventable, report finds

The death of five people caused by an implosion on board the Titan submersible's voyage to the Titanic shipwreck could have been avoided, according to a new report. Hamish Harding was among a crew of five on board the Titan submersible that disappeared in June 2023. It was later confirmed by authorities that the vessel had imploded. The US Coast Guard said at the time the Titan, belonging to tour company OceanGate, probably suffered a 'catastrophic implosion' in the North Atlantic waters and there were no survivors. A report released on Tuesday following a US Coast Guard investigation found the vessel's safety culture and operational practices 'critically flawed". Mr Harding, a British billionaire, died along with Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, French navy pilot Paul-Henry Nargeolet and the boss of tour company OceanGate, Stockton Rush. Mark Butler, the now chief executive of Action Aviation - the company Mr Harding had founded - told The National in a statement that he was 'appalled by the contents of the report, but not shocked'. 'It was very evident from the early stages of the investigation, now confirmed by the published report, that Mr Rush had been trying to run his company on a shoestring, cutting corners, and paying little attention to basic safety and best practices,' he said. 'His negligence and appalling behaviour has caused the death of Hamish Harding and the other passengers on board the Titan submersible. 'The loss of Hamish has been horrific for both the family and for all of us at Action Aviation. He was one of a kind, a wonderful father, and an amazing businessman. We hope that others will learn from this incident and not repeat the selfish and senseless actions of Mr Rush and his company.' Mr Butler joined Action Aviation in 2008 as the managing director, and took over the business after Mr Harding's death. The accident was preventable according to the chairman of the US Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation, Jason Neubauer. 'This marine casualty and the loss of five lives was preventable,' said Mr Neubauer, in a statement released along with the findings of the report. 'The two-year investigation has identified multiple contributing factors that led to this tragedy, providing valuable lessons learned to prevent a future occurrence. "There is a need for stronger oversight and clear options for operators who are exploring new concepts outside of the existing regulatory framework." The board determined the primary contributing factors were OceanGate's inadequate design, certification, maintenance and inspection process for the Titan, the statement added. The board also found OceanGate failed to sufficiently investigate and address known hull anomalies following its Titanic expedition in 2022. Investigators said the Titan's real-time monitoring system generated data that should have been analysed and acted on during the 2022 Titanic expedition. However, OceanGate did not take any action related to the data, conduct any preventative maintenance or properly store the Titan during the extended off season before its 2023 Titanic expedition, the report stated. Who was Hamish Harding? The UAE-based British billionaire was married with two children and holds three Guinness World Records. They include the longest time spent traversing the deepest part of the ocean – the Mariana Trench – on a single dive, and the fastest navigation of Earth through the North and South Poles by plane. In 2021, Mr Harding dived in a two-man submarine mission lasting 36 hours to the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench with American explorer Victor Vescovo, breaking records by traversing the deepest part of the ocean for four hours and 15 minutes and travelling 4.6km along the sea floor. In a post on Facebook to mark the five-month anniversary of the dive, Mr Harding said: 'Can't believe it's been that long already but absolutely can't wait for our next mission/journey/adventure!' Mr Harding's fastest circumnavigation through both poles took 46 hours and 40 minutes and was done in July 2019. He was the pilot and director of the mission, which marked the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, according to the Living Legends of Aviation. But Mr Harding had made more than one trip to the South Pole. The awards body said that in 2016 he accompanied Mr Aldrin – who became the oldest person to reach the South Pole aged 86 – and took his son Giles in 2020, who became the youngest person to reach the South Pole aged 12. His other Guinness World Record was for the longest distance travelled along the deepest part of the ocean – 4.634km, which he did during the Mariana Trench dive in 2021. The following year, in June 2022, Mr Harding flew to space as part of the fifth human space flight run by Jeff Bezos's company Blue Origin. Later that year, the adventurer won his Living Legends of Aviation award which he described as an 'honour' in his acceptance speech before thanking his wife and two sons as well as his 'very loving, very beautiful, very loyal' golden retrievers. The billionaire, who was 58, had called the UAE his home since 2008. Mr Harding wrote in a post on Instagram on June 18 that this was likely to be the only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023 'due to the worst weather in Newfoundland in 40 years'.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store