BIRMINGHAM: An 18-year-old youth was stabbed to death near a mosque in England’s West Midlands during the holy month of Ramzan, prompting a murder probe by West Midlands Police.
The deceased has been named as Zeeshan Afzal, a resident of Smethwick.
The incident occurred outside Oldbury Jamia Masjid while large numbers of worshippers were inside offering evening Taraweeh prayers. Many remained unaware of the violence until emergency services reached the scene and cordoned off the area, media reports said.
Police were alerted to reports of disorder on Oldbury Road in Smethwick, near Birmingham, shortly before 9 pm on Friday. Responding officers found the teenager with critical injuries; he was declared dead at the scene.
A spokesman for the force said: “A murder investigation is underway after a teenager has tragically died after being stabbed in Smethwick”.
Although the motive behind the killing is yet to be established but the police have appealed to local residents or eyewitnesses to come forward with any information they may have.
