LONDON—Four killers left a scene of “bloody carnage” after shooting and stabbing two men and leaving a third critically injured after forcing their way into a house in east London, a trial at the Old Bailey has heard.
Five men went on trial on Wednesday accused of the murder of Saydi Abu Sheikh, 23, and his cousin Zakariya Jeilani Mohamed, 31, who were killed in Ilford in the early hours of Oct. 25, 2022.
Zain Mirza, 20, Ayaani Ali Adan, 20, Mahad Gouled, 21, Zakarie Mohamed, 18, and Chibiuke Ohanweh, 21, all deny the murders.
All five defendants also deny attempting to murder Khalid Khalid and a fourth man, Ali Sheikh.
Zakarie Mohamed has pleaded guilty to conspiring to perverting the course of justice by setting fire to a Mitsubishi Outlander vehicle while the other four deny that charge.
Prosecutor John Price, KC told the jury the four attackers—Mr. Adan, Mr. Gouled, Mr. Mohamed, and Mr. Ohanweh—arrived in Henley Road, Ilford, around midnight in the stolen Outlander.
Neighbours Mistook Gunshots for Fireworks
Mr. Price said neighbours thought, because it was late October, that it might be fireworks going off.“But it was not the sound of fireworks. It was the sound of guns being discharged. A few minutes later, police officers and paramedics arrived in Henley Road in response to more 999 calls from local people, alarmed now at what was happening in their street. Within the house was found a scene of bloody carnage,” he added.
Mr. Abu Sheikh had been shot with four bullets and been stabbed 28 times, while his cousin was shot seven times and had also been stabbed.
The third man, Mr. Khaled, was shot six times, including once in the head, but miraculously survived.
A fourth man, Ali Sheikh, fled as soon as the attackers broke into the house and escaped with only a flesh wound to his shoulder.
Mr. Price said: “A fifth man was even more fortunate. Zachary Abdi had been in the upstairs room where the killings happened, when they happened. But before the gunmen were able to force their way into the room, he had concealed himself between a bed and the wall. Almost miraculously, his presence there went undetected by the gunmen.”
Mr. Price said the killers fled in the Outlander and a few minutes later set it on fire in another road on the other side of the North Circular Road.
He read an excerpt of a statement by a resident, Sharmina Hussain, who said: “As I was laying there [in bed], I heard a loud bang which I cannot describe further but it caused me to get out of bed and look outside, along with my husband. I had heard nothing beforehand ... we pulled the curtains and net curtains to one side, and I saw through the closed window a white car on fire.”
Pile of Clothes Survived Fire and Linked Back to Defendants
The prosecutor said: “The car was a wreck and its interior substantially destroyed. However, though partially damaged by the flames, a small pile of clothes in the rear passenger area had otherwise survived, later to tell their tale.”Mr. Price said the killers had clearly intended to destroy not just the vehicle but also the clothes they had been wearing during the attack.
He said: “The ultimate aim was to destroy any evidence which might connect them to their dreadful deeds. In that, they failed. Preserved and later meticulously examined in the laboratory, items of the clothing and other fabric items found in the SUV were to yield scientific evidence which, it is submitted, helps to prove the identities of the four men who carried out this murderous attack.”
Mr. Price told the jury: “What then was the role in the commission of these offences of Zain Mirza? It is alleged he procured this attack, brought it about. Careful to be at arm’s length from the events in Henley Road ... he had helped to facilitate and to arrange it. He was the one who most wanted it done, his motive was revenge.”
More evidence is expected to emerge on Thursday about the motive.
The trial, being presided over by the recorder of London, Judge Mark Lucraft, KC, is expected to last several weeks.
