An asylum seeker has been found guilty of murdering a pensioner in a seaside town in a “revenge” attack over the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Ahmed Alid, 45, a migrant from Morocco, viciously stabbed 70-year-old Terence Carney six times in Hartlepool town centre on October 15.
The attack took place a week after the Hamas October 7 attacks on Israel, and prosecutors told Teesside Crown Court he was inspired to take revenge for what he said was “the killing of children” by the Middle Eastern nation.
The court heard that, just minutes earlier, he had broken into the bedroom of Javed Nouri, 31, his housemate at Home Office-approved asylum seekers’ accommodation in Wharton Terrace.
At around 5am, he hacked at the sleeping bodybuilder turned Christian convert and yelled “Allahu Akbar” – “God is great”.
Recordings of both attacks – a murder and attempted murder for which he has now been found guilty – were played in court, with the earlier incident caught as another resident placed a 999 call.
As the call was made, Alid fled into the street still holding the knife with which he had stabbed Nouri.
A doorbell camera caught the moment he descended on Mr Carney, who could be heard shouting “no no” as he was stabbed.
Prosecutors at the court argued the latter attack was not frenzied but a deliberate attempt to target Mr Carney’s body.
Alid walked off, leaving his victims for dead, the court heard and was later apprehended by armed police, who were also seen arresting the attacker.
While in a Middlesborough police holding cell, it was heard he launched into an Arabic speech in which he claimed “Allah willing, Gaza would return to be an Arab country”.
He had strongly disapproved of Mr Nouri’s conversion to Christianity, suggesting that God was “displeased” with followers who went astray,
During a police interview the following day, he admitted to attacking the Hartlepool pensioner as “Israel had killed innocent children”.
Prosecutor Jonathan Sandiford KC told the court: “In other words, he said he had committed the attempted murder of Javed Nouri and the murder of Mr Carney in revenge for what he believed to be the killing of children by Israel.”
Mr Sandiford added that he had sworn “by Allah” he “would have killed more victims” if he had a machine gun or other weapons.
Alid had earlier denied charges of murder, attempted murder and assaulting two female police officers during questioning, claiming he carried out the stabbings without the intention to kill or cause serious harm.
Judge Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said she would sentence Alid on Friday, May 17.
