Tower Hamlets stab victim 'knifed to death after breaking up argument' - as two men are killed in weekend of bloodshed in London

Victim: Alimuz Zaman, known as Alom, was stabbed in St Paul's Way and died in hospital
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Two young men were stabbed to death on a weekend of bloodshed which took the total number of people murdered on the streets of London this year above 50.

Another man is fighting for life in hospital after being attacked by a hammer wielding mob trying to steal his moped from a car park in Battersea.

In the first fatal attack of the weekend Alimuz Zaman, known as Alom, was chased and stabbed up to seven times with a “Rambo knife” in Mile End.

He was ambushed as he went to buy food to break fast with his family, who said he had broken up an argument between two groups of men earlier in the day.

The 23-year-old collapsed in a pool of blood outside a children’s play centre in St Paul’s Way at about 4.30pm on Sunday. Medics battled to save him but he died in hospital.

Another man, 25, was stabbed as he rushed to Mr Zaman’s aid. He remains in hospital with injuries that are not thought to be life-threatening.

A witness said: “I saw him being chased by two teenagers. They stabbed him with what looked like a Rambo-style knife and he then came back to the shops. He fell on the floor and tried to get up but fell again.”

Mr Zaman’s brother, Kom, said the killing happened hours after his younger sibling had intervened in an argument on the Burdett Estate.

He told the Standard: “There were two groups of people who had an argument and my brother knew them both, so he met with them to mediate. He thought he resolved it, but we heard later they didn’t like my brother’s tone.

“Later on he went to get sweets with our five-year-old niece. When he got home, my sister said, ‘you forgot the coriander’, so he went back out to get some and two boys came and stabbed him.”

Mr Zaman was stabbed 200 yards from his home while buying the food as his family prepared to break fast during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

His death marks the 50th murder investigation launched in the capital so far this year and the 31st fatal stabbing in London in 2019.

His brother added: “We’re angry because he’s young and the fact that he died over something so petty.”

Mr Zaman worked as his mother’s carer and aspired to help his brother Kom on his mattress business, Comfasleep.

Then in the early hours of today, a man in his 30s died of knife wounds after a fight involving men and women in the street in Forest Gate.

Officers called to Warwick Road at 1.15am found the injured man. He was taken to hospital but died later. They are appealing for witnesses.

The 46-year-old victim of the attack in Battersea was set upon by youths on bicycles in a “cowardly” attack in a Tesco car park at about 4.30pm on Saturday. One witness said: “Those boys ganged up on a man and hit him over the head with a hammer, just because he was trying to protect his scooter.

“He wouldn’t let them take his bike, he put up a fight and I guess they didn’t like that.”

A 16-year-old boy was arrested near the scene on suspicion of GBH and has been bailed until a date in early June.

Police are also investigating a fire at a family home in Orpington in which a 45-year-old woman died and a man, 44, was left in a critical condition. Two children escaped the blaze at the house in Cray Avenue at 11.14pm last night.

Anyone with information should call police on 101 or ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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