UK: Saudi student fatally stabbed in 'unprovoked' attack in Cambridge

The Saudi embassy in London said on Monday it is working with UK authorities to establish the full circumstances of a fatal stabbing that took place in the city of Cambridge, where a Saudi national was killed.

Police said officers were called to reports of violence in the Mill Park area shortly before midnight on Friday, when they found 20-year-old Mohammed Al-Qasim with serious injuries. He died at the scene shortly after their arrival. A post-mortem examination is scheduled for Tuesday.

Cambridgeshire Police said 21-year-old Chas Corrigan, from Cambridge, was charged with murder and possession of a knife in a public place. He appeared at Peterborough Magistrates' Court on Monday and had been remanded in custody until a hearing at Cambridge Crown Court on Wednesday.

A second suspect, a 50-year-old man also from Cambridge, was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender and remains in custody.

The incident is being treated as an "unprovoked attack", police said on Monday. Al-Qasim had been in the city on a 10-week placement and was studying at a local language school, they added.

In a statement, the Saudi embassy said it was "following up on an assault on a Saudi citizen that led to his death" and that it "continues to liaise with UK agencies to discover the full circumstances surrounding the incident and to facilitate the repatriation of the victim’s body to Saudi Arabia".

"The embassy and all its staff extend their sincere condolences and sympathy to the family of the deceased," it added.

The New Arab contacted the Saudi Arabian Cultural Bureau in London for further comment.

In a statement cited by Arab News, Al-Qasim's family described him as a "young man brimming with enthusiasm, brimming with chivalry and courage".

"He was a dutiful son, a loving brother, and the leader of the family in spirit, not in appearance," the statement said. "He was cheerful, chivalrous, pure of heart, quick to give, and passionate about others. Over time, he became the family’s charisma, leaving behind an unforgettable legacy in every gathering."

Each year, approximately 9,600 to 12,000 students from Saudi Arabia come to study in the UK. In the 2023-2024 academic year, around 9,680 Saudi students were enrolled in UK higher education institutions, making Saudi Arabia one of the largest non-EU sources of international students in the country.

The killing of Al-Qasim recalls the 2014 murder of Nahid Almanea, a 31-year-old Saudi student who was stabbed 16 times while walking in Colchester, Essex.

Almanea had been studying at the University of Essex and had been in the UK for less than a year. Her death, which drew widespread media attention, was investigated as a possible hate crime.