A Middlesbrough court has sentenced Ahmed Alid, a 45-year-old refugee from Morocco, who stabbed a man to death in an alleged “revenge” for Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip, to 45 years in prison. The court characterized the attacker's actions as an act of terrorism.
The attack came a week after Hamas terrorists attacked Israel. A Moroccan man attacked his sleeping neighbor with a knife in a house for asylum seekers in the town of Hartlepool.
Alid shouted “Allahu Akbar” - “God is great” - during the attack on the refugee shelter. He then fled into the street, still armed with a knife, where he attacked 70-year-old Terence Carney, who was walking his dog, stabbing him several times. The elderly man died from his wounds.
In addition to the murder, the offender was found guilty of assaulting two policewomen during questioning.
During Alid's trial, his Shelter neighbors noticed him watching coverage of the Hamas attack and that he had begun carrying a knife.
While in custody, Alid told police in an interview that he attacked people because “Israel killed innocent children.”
Psychiatric evaluations found no evidence of psychosis “or any other serious mental illness” in Alid. Police explained that the Moroccan's motivation was based solely on political and religious reasons.
