A Syrian teenager stabbed to death in the UK had escaped the war in his homeland after being injured in a bombing in Homs, his family have said.
The family of Ahmad Mamdouh Al Ibrahim, 16, paid tribute to the “kind and gentle” teenager, who had dreams of becoming a doctor. A man has appeared in court charged with his murder in Huddersfield on April 3.
“Ahmad fled war-torn Homs, Syria, after being injured in a bombing,” his family said in a statement issued through West Yorkshire Police. “He chose to come to the UK because he believed in the values of human rights, safety and dignity. He was full of hope and dreamt of becoming a doctor, wanting to heal others after all he had endured.”
The family added that Ahmad had begun to settle into his new life in the UK with his uncle and was “adjusting to a new language, a new home and a future he was excited to build”.
“Ahmad was kind, gentle and carried so much promise. Losing him has left an unimaginable emptiness in our hearts,” the statement said. “We never thought that the place he saw as a safe haven would be where his life would end. Our only wish now is to lay him to rest in his homeland, Syria. Thank you for helping us honour his memory.”
Homs was a key battleground in the Syrian civil, after residents responded to the call to overthrow former president Bashar Al Assad in 2011. Regime forces were driven out of much of the city a year later.
Government forces responded by laying siege to the city for two years. The fighting left whole areas destroyed before rebel forces withdrew. The city passed fully into government control in 2017, but was retaken by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham in early December, as the group led rebel forces to Damascus.
Alfie Franco, 20, appeared at Leeds Crown Court on Tuesday charged with Ahmad’s murder. He was remanded in custody with a trial date set for October 2. Police are working with Ahmad’s family and are investigating the attack, West Yorkshire Police added.
