British Muslim TV journalist killed in Ghana armed robbery

A British journalist working for a Muslim TV channel has been shot and killed while reporting in Ghana.

Syed Taalay Ahmed, 31, was filming a documentary on the West African country's Ahmadiyya Muslim minority when his vehicle was ambushed by bandits on 23 August at 7pm local time. 

The armed robbers opened fire on the vehicle Ahmed travelling in, leaving him and a colleague wounded.

Ahmed, a married father of two, was reported dead at a hospital shortly after.

The attack took place near Tamale town in northern Ghana, where Ahmad was working for Muslim Television Ahmadiyya (MTA).

In a press release, Ghanaian police said the suspects, who made off with money and valuables, included two men who were killed in a shootout days later and four others who were arrested.

The London-based MTA network explained Ahmad was in Ghana to film a documentary highlighting "charity works conducted by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community".

A spokesman from his team said: "He was a much-loved member of the MTA team and produced a series of faith-inspiring documentaries and programmes.

As many are now aware, earlier this week a most devoted and sincere member of our MTA News team, Syed Taalay Ahmed sahib, lost his life whilst travelling abroad in Ghana on duty in the service of Islam.

إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعون pic.twitter.com/RKddQaoisw

— MTA News (@NewsMTA) August 27, 2021

"We will miss him every day & strive to build upon the great work he did."

Ahmad's colleague, Farhad Ahmad, told The New Arab that Mr Ahmad was a "very unique person".

"I hadn't met people who had worked as hard as he did, he would voluntarily spend hours at night completing projects to make them excellent," he said.

"He felt passionate about spreading true teachings of Islam to combat the tarnished image [of the religion].

"He produced documentaries about humanising Muslims, showing Islam is nothing to be feared, and tried to showcase Muslim communities in impoverished parts of the world, that's why he was in Africa."

Ahmad's body was due to be repatriated to the UK on Wednesday, though the date of his funeral is yet to be confirmed, the BBC reported.

There appears to have been a series of robberies in the area where Ahmad was killed.