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Boy, 16, killed in UK street had fled war in Syria

Chloe Laversuch
BBC News, Yorkshire
West Yorkshire Police A boy with dark hair and wearing a dark jacket stands in front of a hedgeWest Yorkshire Police
Ahmad Mamdouh Al Ibrahim, 16, died in hospital after being stabbed in Huddersfield

A teenage boy who was fatally stabbed in Huddersfield had fled the war in Syria after being injured in a bombing.

Ahmad Mamdouh Al Ibrahim, 16, suffered a single wound to the neck and died in hospital following the incident on Thursday afternoon.

"We never thought that the place he saw as a safe haven would be where his life would end," his family said.

Alfie Franco, 20, of The Crescent, Kirkburton, appeared at Leeds Crown Court earlier charged with murdering the teenager and possessing a knife in a public place.

Getty Images A boy on a bicycle cycles between two building which are in ruinsGetty Images
Sections of the city of Homs were destroyed during the country's civil war

Ahmad fled the city of Homs and chose to come to the UK "because he believed in the values of human rights, safety, and dignity", his family said.

The Syrian city was the scene of fierce fighting in the country's civil war, which began in 2011 following anti-government protests against former president, Bashar al-Assad.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimated that more than 650,000 people were killed in the 13-year conflict.

Police said the fatal stabbing, which happened in Ramsden Street in the centre of the West Yorkshire town, was not gang-related or linked to any wider dispute between groups.

Alex Moss/BBC Group of people in white suits examining a patch of grass and a pavementAlex Moss/BBC
Police forensic teams were called to Huddersfield town centre after the stabbing on Thursday

The teenager had recently arrived in West Yorkshire and "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," his family said.

"He was full of hope and dreamed of becoming a doctor—wanting to heal others after all he had endured," they added.

They described the teenager as "kind and gentle" and said his death had left an "unimaginable emptiness in our hearts".

Ahmad's family said their only wish now was to lay him to rest in his homeland.

In court, Mr Franco was not asked to enter a plea to the charges and a provisional trial date was set for 2 October.

He was remanded in custody until his next court appearance for a plea and trial preparation hearing on 7 May.

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