Family of Saudi student killed in Cambridge prepare to take body home

Mohammed Alqassem's uncle doubles down on criticism of 'lawlessness' in UK

Mohammed Alqassem was killed in an 'unprovoked attack', police said. Photo: Supplied

The family of a Saudi student stabbed to death in Cambridge have arrived in the UK to take his body home, his uncle has revealed.

Mohammed Yousef Alqassem, 20, was killed in what police have described as an “unprovoked attack” while he was on a 10-week placement at an English language school. A 21-year-old man, Chas Corrigan, has been charged with murder and possession of a knife in a public place, and is due to appear at Cambridge Crown Court on Wednesday.

Majed Abalkhail, Mr Alqassem's uncle, told The National family members have travelled to the city to take his body back to their homeland. “Mohammed’s father is currently in Cambridge, accompanied by some of his brothers, to follow up on the procedures for bringing Mohammed home, in co-ordination with the Saudi embassy,” he said.

Family of Saudi student stabbed to death says UK is not safe for visitors

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Mr Abalkhail reiterated his view on crime in Britain, saying he had a sense of “deep frustration and growing anger” that the country was losing its reputation for being safe. “People from various countries, including many in the Arab world, are seriously rethinking any plans to visit or study in the UK,” he said.

Mohammed Alqassem's family have come to the UK to repatriate his body. Photo: Supplied

“This is the hard truth being spoken in private conversations and social circles – and it’s time it was said out loud. Britain is rapidly losing its global reputation, not just as a centre of education, but even as a travel destination.

“Sadly, Britain is becoming a symbol of lawlessness, insecurity, and government failure, and this perception is spreading fast among people of all backgrounds.” He cited the example of the fatal stabbing of Mohammed Afzal, 19, in Manchester as an example of Britain being a “dangerous environment plagued by theft, stabbings and violent crime”.

A man has been charged in relation to the death of Mr Afzal, who was killed in a car park on Friday. Two men remain in custody while two other men, who were also arrested, have been released on bail.

Mr Abalkhail earlier paid tribute to his nephew as a “calm, kind-hearted young man” who dreamt of pursuing a career as a doctor.

Mohammed Alqassem had dreams of becoming a doctor. Photo: Supplied

Cambridgeshire Police said that its officers were called to Mill Park in Cambridge at 11.27pm on Friday following reports of violence. Mr Alqassem was pronounced dead at the scene at 12.01am on Saturday despite the efforts of paramedics.

EF International Language Campuses Cambridge, a private school offering English language courses to overseas students, said it was “deeply saddened” to confirm one of its adult students had died.

In recent months there have been reports about crime in Britain, in particular London, and criticism of the police’s ability to deal with it. Official statistics show a mixed picture, with some violent crime falling while theft and some knife crime has increased.

In the year to March 2025, the police recorded 6.6 million crimes – similar to the previous year’s figure of 6.7 million, but up from 4.2 million in the year ending in March 2015.

Floral tributes were left at the scene of the stabbing. PA

Attacks involving the use of knives have gone up from just under 14,000 a decade ago to around 22,000 this year. Knife-enabled murders fell by 23 per cent to 204 offences, compared with 265 the year before.

In 2024, London recorded nearly 17,000 knife crime offences − an 86.6 per cent increase over 10 years. In the same year there were over 35,000 robberies – an increase of 18.2 per cent over just three years.

In the year to March there were 535 murders – more or less the same as 10 years ago and down from 868 in 2005. The UK has also experienced a wave of "Rolex ripper" luxury watch thefts and mobile phone snatches, which the police appear to have struggled to deal with.

Analysis by the insurance company SquareTrade Europe of mobile theft and loss of data from 12 European markets found that the UK now represents 40 per of all European claims.