Camden stabbings: Police probe link between knife attacks that left two young men dead as detectives reveal how night of violence unfolded

A teenager was being questioned today in connection with two murders and a violent stabbing on a “shocking” night of bloodshed in Camden.

Business student Sadiq Mohamed, 20, died from serious stab injuries after being discovered in Malden Road, Camden, at around 10.15pm on Tuesday.

At 8.30pm, 17-year-old Abdikarim Hassan was found with knife wounds half a mile away in Bartholomew Road and died at the scene.

Detectives today revealed that some 30 minutes earlier, officers on patrol discovered a 16-year-old boy suffering stab wounds in Aldenham Street, near the British Library.

He and another boy had been chased down by a group of men armed with knives and remains in hospital with injuries not thought to be life threatening.

Scotland Yard today said all three attacks were being treated as linked due to their “proximity in time and locations, the nature of the attacks and developing lines of inquiry”.

Witnesses reported seeing a blue van near the scene of the two murders while in each stabbing there were reports of a group of three to four men armed with knives.

The Met said officers arrested an 18-year-old man last night at an address in Camden on suspicion of two counts of murder and one of grievous bodily harm.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Considine, who is leading the joint investigation, said: “I need the public’s help to establish the exact circumstances in which two young men were murdered and another seriously injured, and to identify the people responsible.

“Today, I am asking local residents or those people who were out in the area that night to think back - and if they saw something that may help us, please get in contact.

“I can understand why some people may be reluctant or nervous about coming forward but we need your help. We will treat your information in the strictest of confidence.

“I also believe that there are people out there who knows exactly who is responsible. I would urge you to do the right thing and tell us what you know. “

He added: “The frequency with which young men are prepared to take each others’ lives is shocking. We all have a part to play in preventing this.”

In particular, he urged anyone who had seen a blue van in the area of the attacks on the night to come forward urgently.

The appeal came after the mother of Mr Mohamed told how her son had left a voicemail message telling her “I’m wounded” moments after he was attacked with what witnesses described as a Samurai sword.

Mr Mohamed’s brother Mohamed Aadam, was fatally knifed last September in Camden Town while their cousin, Mohamed Abdullahi, was stabbed to death in 2013.

At the family home in Mornington Crescent mum Fowsiya Abdi, 48, fought back tears as she said: “He left me a message that said ‘I’m wounded, I got wounded.’

She added: “I am now so worried for my other children, they all live in the same postcode.

“I cannot express how angry I am. I would like for anyone carrying a knife to be punished and taken off the streets.”

Camden borough commander Chief Superintendent Nicholas Davies said police have since imposed a Section 60 stop and search order across the area.

She said: “Tuesday was a shocking night for all of us in Camden. The violence used by young men against each other in such a short time period and small area has rightly caused concern in such a diverse and vibrant borough.

“We are doing all we can to address that concern. For the last three days we have had extra officers on duty – highly visible and in plain clothes – carrying out a range of intelligence led operations and patrols. This will continue.”

The stabbings shocked the capital and led to renewed calls for action against knife crime with London Assembly members calling the situation a “crisis.”

Sixteen people have been stabbed to death in London since the start of 2018. Five of those were teenagers.

Anyone with information should contact the force on 020 8345 3734, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.