Life sentence for 'Wild West' knife attack that killed 19-year-old Porsche driver on Edgware Road

Man jailed for life after fatal 'Wild West' knife fight in central London

A 24-year-old man has been given a life sentence with a minimum term of 27 years after stabbing 19-year-old Mohamed Abdi to death during violent scenes described in court as resembling the 'Wild West'. The attack took place on Edgware Road on the evening of 4 June 2024.

Awad Abdel Samad maintained he acted in self-defence, but at the Old Bailey the judge concluded he had sought revenge after believing Mr Abdi was involved in the earlier abduction and torture of a friend. The judge said Samad 'acted with extreme aggression and persistence in attacking Mr Abdi' and was satisfied the killing was a revenge attack carried out as part of a group.

'You acted with extreme aggression and persistence in attacking Mr Abdi,' Judge Lynn Tayton told the defendant.

Two days earlier, on 2 June, the court heard that Soufian Chafi, a friend of the defendant, had been kidnapped and tortured; footage showing him 'naked and humiliated' had circulated on social media. Although there was no evidence linking Mr Abdi to that assault, Samad and his co-defendant Mohamad Mahmoud El-Hazzaa, 27, believed he had been involved.

The confrontation on 4 June began when the occupants of two cars who knew one another were travelling in heavy traffic. Samad was the front passenger in a Seat Leon driven by El-Hazzaa. Mr Abdi was following in a Porsche Cayenne, pulled up close and flashed his lights. When both cars stopped, Samad exited the vehicle carrying a knife.

Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones KC told jurors the scene was 'like something from the Wild West.' Mr Abdi got out and the two men fought; both were armed initially. Within seconds, Samad kicked Mr Abdi's knife onto the road, leaving only Samad with a weapon. He chased the disarmed victim as he tried to re-enter his Porsche and stabbed him three times, including a wound to the chest that pierced rib cartilage and entered the heart.

After the attack, Samad fled in the Seat Leon. Despite help from passers-by and emergency medics, Mr Abdi managed to drive into Bell Street where he later collapsed and died.

A victim impact statement read in court described Mr Abdi as a 'cherished son and a loving brother' and 'a young man who had much to live for.' Judge Tayton said the family fear his life has been stolen.

El-Hazzaa was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Key facts

• Victim: Mohamed Abdi, 19.
• Convicted: Awad Abdel Samad, 24. Life sentence with minimum term of 27 years.
• Co-defendant: Mohamad Mahmoud El-Hazzaa, 27. Sentenced to three years for attempting to pervert the course of justice.
• Location: Edgware Road and Bell Street, central London.
• Date of killing: 4 June 2024. Earlier related assault: 2 June 2024.

This account is based on evidence and sentencing remarks reported at the Old Bailey.