Asylum seeker who killed British pensioner says he was seeking revenge for the people of Gaza

LONDON (AP) — An asylum seeker from Morocco who went on a rampage following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that triggered the Israel-Hamas War was convicted Thursday of murder for stabbing a 70-year-old man on the streets of an English coastal town.

Ahmed Alid, 45, stabbed Terence Carney six times on October 15 in Hartlepool city center, minutes after he attacked a sleeping housemate while shouting “Allahu Akbar” or “God is great” in Arabic.

The attack occurred eight days later Hamas militants invaded Israel on October 7 and Alid told police he had done it “for the people of Gaza”. He swore he would have killed more if he had had a machine gun and other weapons, prosecutor Jonathan Sandiford said at Teesside Crown Court.

Alid was also convicted of attempted murder for the attack on Javed Nouri, who shared the home in northeast England with him and other asylum seekers. Alid was upset that Nouri had converted to Christianity.

Housemates told police that Alid began carrying a knife after watching television coverage of Hamas attacks and Israel’s subsequent bombing of Gaza.

Alid laughed when he saw images of murders committed by Hamas, alarming his housemate, Nouri told police.

“Every time they killed someone, he praised God,” Nouri said. “I have been very upset since that night and I saw something terrible and scary in his eyes.”

Nouri complained to the housing authorities, the Ministry of the Interior and the police and Alid was warned that he could lose his home.

Alid told police he justified the death of an innocent man because Britain helped create the “Zionist entity” of Israel and Israel “killed innocent children.”

“They killed children and I killed an old man,” he said.

During his interview with two female detectives, Alid became agitated and attacked them. A panic button in the interrogation room, however, did not work properly and other police officers only intervened after Alid’s defense lawyer called an emergency number for help.

He was convicted of additional charges for assaulting police officers.

Alid denied the allegations against him. Although he acknowledged the stabbings, he said he had no intention of killing or causing serious harm.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 17.