11 hours ago
Good Samaritan, 22, stabbed to death outside prayer centre 'while trying to break up a fight': Police still hunting killer
A Good Samaritan was stabbed to death outside a London prayer centre while trying to break up a fight, with police still hunting for the knifeman.
'Hero' 22-year-old restaurant manager Dara Sayed Barham stepped in as a 'mediator' when two men started fighting in Hanworth Road, Hounslow, near his eatery yesterday.
Locals told how Dara tried to stop the brawl outside the Hounslow Muslim Centre in west London before being knifed three times.
Police and paramedics swarmed the area at 2.21pm and found Dara with multiple stab wounds. He was rushed to hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
Dara's best friend Kavan Soleman described him as the 'perfect citizen' who would 'help anyone and do anything for anyone'.
'The fight was nothing to do with him. But he was a perfect citizen, a hero who tried to come between them without worrying about himself, he was a peacemaker,' he told the Metro.
'I'm devastated he was such a good, hardworking person. He is Kurdish like me. His family are there. I'm going to the hospital as I live in London. I can't believe he has gone.'
One witness said: 'It's so sad. He was only 22 and was trying to be a mediator in a fight that broke out between people outside the restaurant on the street.
'He was trying to break it up but got caught up in the fight.'
Another witness said: 'He was not actually involved in the fight from the start but tried to get in between those who were, to try to stop them.
'Unfortunately, he was stabbed at least three times when he was the one trying to prevent any harm.
'There was so much blood on the street and there were so many people around..'
Dara's next of kin have been informed, the Met said.
An investigation is ongoing but no arrests have been made.
Officers say there is nothing to suggest a link between the incident and Hounslow Muslim Centre.
Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley said: 'My thoughts are with the family and friends of the victim at this incredibly difficult time.
'This incident happened in a busy part of Hounslow during the middle of the afternoon.
'It's vital we hear from anyone who was in the area and witnessed the attack, the moments leading up to it, or the aftermath.'
