Blackburn shooting: Aya Hachem funeral held in Lebanon

The funeral of a law student killed in a drive-by shooting in Blackburn has taken place in her hometown in Lebanon.

Aya Hachem, 19, died when shots were fired from a passing car on 17 May.

Five people have appeared in court charged with her murder while officers have been granted more time to question another murder suspect.

Police have also appealed for dashcam footage from anyone traveling along the A666 between Bolton and Blackburn between 14:00 and 16:00 BST.

"I appreciate this is quite a long period of time but knowing who was moving along that road at those times is key to us," said Det Supt Andy Cribbin, from Lancashire Police.

Ms Hachem was walking along King Street to the supermarket when she was hit by one of two bullets fired from a car.

Aya Hachem died from a gunshot wound to the chest

Ms Hachem's parents paid tribute to her as the "most loyal devoted daughter" who "dreamed of becoming a solicitor".

The Lebanese-born teenager, who was a second-year student at the University of Salford, was buried in the town of Koleileh on Saturday.

Her mother Samar Hachem, who had travelled to Lebanon for the funeral, recalled the moment she was informed of her daughter's death.

"I started to shout, maybe to scream, I thought maybe an accident, maybe a car or something like that," she said.

"I asked, what's happened to her? Is she still in hospital?

"And he told me, she's dead."

The funeral of Aya Hachem was held in Lebanon on Saturday

Feroz Suleman, of Shear Brow in Blackburn, and Abubakir Satia, of Oxford Close in Blackburn, were the first people to be charged in connection with her death on Friday.

They appeared at Preston Magistrates' Court along with Uthman Satia, of Oxford Close in Blackburn, Judy Chapman, of St Hubert's Road in Great Harwood, and Kashif Manzoor, of Shakeshaft Street in Blackburn, who were charged later.

They have also been charged with the attempted murder of their intended target Pashar Khan, the court heard.

They were remanded in custody to appear at Preston Crown Court on Wednesday.

A closure order was issued for Mr Suleman's business, RI Tyres, for up to three months following an application by Lancashire Police.