Man charged with murder for fatal Harrods stabbing
A man has been charged with murder for allegedly stabbing someone to death outside of Harrods last month.
Badir Rahim Alnazi, 23, has been charged, after it was alleged he fatally stabbed Mohammed Al-Araimi on 5 December outside the Knightsbridge department store.
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Alnazi was today charged with murder, attempted robbery and possession of a bladed article.
The 23-year-old, of no fixed address, handed himself in to the Metropolitan Police yesterday and appeared in Westminster Magistrates’ Court yesterday.
The death of Al-Araimi came in a year where homicides reached a 10-year high in the capital.
The Met recorded 149 homicides in 2019, which is a 50 per cent increase since 2014.
London’s 2019 murder rate was up 10 per cent from 2018, when it reached 135.
Despite this, the total number of homicides across the entire UK fell in 2019 for the first time in five years, according to BBC research.
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Speaking to the BBC, Metropolitan police commander Jane Connors said: “We know that drug dealing is inextricably linked with a high proportion of the violence seen on our streets.
“Therefore, we will continue to target those who, for the sole purpose of financial gain, exploit children and target the most vulnerable within our communities.”