A SYRIAN refugee who had been living in Swansea has died after being stabbed in the neck just two weeks after relocating to Huddersfield.
Ahmad Mamdouh Al Ibrahim, aged 16, was described by his uncle as a “lovely, kind” boy who had been trying to make friends in his new town when he was attacked.
Ahmad had arrived in the UK in October and had lived in a refugee centre in Swansea until March 20, when he moved to West Yorkshire to live with his uncle. He had recently celebrated Ramadan and Eid with his extended family, and had been looking forward to enrolling at Kirklees College.
Speaking to The Guardian, Ahmad’s uncle said he had encouraged the teenager to explore Huddersfield and meet people his own age. On the day he died, Ahmad was out with his cousin, who had offered to show him the town centre and a shop selling Arabic food.
“He was trying to make a friend,” his uncle said. “I told him, ‘You need to go out, see the town, and find out where things are. That’s how you’ll make friends.’”
Ahmad was fatally stabbed during the outing. A 20-year-old man, Alfie Franco, from Kirkburton, has been charged with murder and remanded in custody.
Tributes have been pouring in for the teenager, who had hoped to become a doctor. His uncle said Ahmad achieved top marks in maths and was dedicated to helping others. “He came from a good family in Syria to a good family here. He was only 16. He was a good boy.”
He added that staff at the Swansea refugee centre and Ahmad’s social worker had been in touch to express their devastation at his death. “They told us they had never seen him as happy as he was during Eid,” he said.
Flowers and handwritten cards have been left at the scene of the killing in Huddersfield, with members of the local community expressing sorrow over the tragedy. A fundraising page started by local tailor Maneer Siddique, who did not know the family, has raised more than £10,000 to help return Ahmad’s body to Syria.
“You’d want help if you were in a dire situation,” Mr Siddique said. “So why shouldn’t you help somebody else in a dire situation?”
Ahmad leaves behind his parents and three sisters in Homs, Syria. His father is a taxi driver.
