Islamic extremist murdered Hartlepool man over Gaza, court

Ahmed Ali Alid armed himself with two knives and attacked Javed Nouri in his bed before wandering the streets of Hartlepool looking for another victim, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Allegedly, the 45-year-old came across Terence Carney as he walked through the town and fatally stabbed him several times.

Jurors heard how after he was arrested he told police "if he had had a machine gun, and more weapons, he would have killed more victims".

Jonathan Sandiford KC, prosecuting, said Alid told police officers he had wanted to kill them because of the conflict in Gaza and to further his desire that Palestine would be free from the Zionists, by which he meant Israel.

Jurors heard how Alid branded Mr Nouri an ‘apostate’ after he converted from the Islamic faith to Christianity.

He said: “Matters changed when Mr Nouri began to attend a Christian Church and it became clear to Alid that he was not a Muslim but a Christian convert and therefore, in his eyes, an apostate who deserved to die.”

Mr Nouri and two other housemates believed that Alid followed an extreme version of Islam and started to keep a knife with him after watching coverage of the attacks by Hamas on Israel.

Mr Sandiford said Mr Nouri and the two other residents of the shared house raised concerns about the defendant’s behaviour with the police and housing managers.

The barrister told the jury that those complaints provided a further motive to launch his violent attack on Mr Nouri and stabbed him six times.

He said: “Mr Noury heard the defendant kick the door in and woke up to find him shouting “Allahu Akbar” [“God is Great”] and stabbing him in the upper chest near to his heart.

“When he was first stabbed in the chest he felt no pain, but blood came pouring out and he screamed at Alid: “What are you doing?” the defendant stabbed him in the chest again.”

Jurors heard how Mr Nouri was stabbed in the legs but managed to get hold of Alid in a headlock and disarm him of one knife.

A recording of a 999-call captured Alid repeatedly shouting: “Allahu Akbar” [“God is Great”], Mr Sandiford said.

The court heard how after Alid left the house on Wharton Terrace he started wandering towards the town centre armed with a knife before he came across 70-year-old Mr Carney and CCTV footage captured the fatal attack.

Mr Sandiford said: “The man moved quickly forward to attack Mr Carney, lunging at him with the knife.

“Mr Carney retreated, and the defendant pushed or stabbed him to the ground in the mouth of Tees Street.

“He dropped the knife but immediately picked it up and continued to attack Mr Carney who managed to get to his feet but was pushed or stabbed to the ground again.

“The defendant continued to attack Mr Carney, circling him, and stabbing him with the knife a number of times when he was effectively defenceless and crying out “No, No”.”

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The jury heard how the defendant was arrested nearby shortly afterwards and police found the fatally injured pensioner as they headed towards Wharton Terrace.

A post-mortem examination established that Mr Carney had been stabbed six times in the chest, abdomen and back.

Alid, of Wharton Terrace, Hartlepool, denies he murdered the pensioner. He also denies the attempted murder of his housemate, and two charges of assaulting an emergency worker.

The trial continues.