ALBAWABA- A 20-year-old Saudi student, Mohammed Al-Qassem, was fatally stabbed in Cambridge late Friday night in what police are calling an unprovoked attack.
The incident occurred near Mill Park, close to Cambridge train station, where Al-Qassem was participating in a ten-week academic training program.
Emergency services were called to the scene at 11:27 p.m., but despite efforts by paramedics, Al-Qassem was pronounced dead just after midnight.
The attack has stunned both the Saudi community and Arab diaspora in the UK, with tributes pouring in across social media. Flowers and handwritten messages were placed at the scene in his memory, one reading, “May your soul be at peace. We are with God and we are with you.”
Al-Qassem was enrolled at EF International Language Campus in Cambridge, which expressed deep sorrow over the loss, confirming he was one of their adult students.
Cambridgeshire Police confirmed on Monday that Al-Qassem was stabbed in what appeared to be an unprovoked assault. An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday.
Chas Corrigan, 21, of Holbrook Street, Cambridge, has been charged with murder and possession of a knife in a public place. He appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Monday and is set to appear at Cambridge Crown Court on Tuesday for a preliminary hearing.
A second man, aged 50, was also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender and remains in police custody. Investigations are ongoing.
