Walthamstow stabbing: Teenage law student died in mother's arms

More than £17,000 has been raised on a GoFundMe page to build a mosque in Hussain Chaudhry's memory

A teenager died in his "mother's arms" after he was stabbed in the neck defending his family from thieves, friends and relatives have said.

Hussain Chaudhry, 18, was attacked on Lea Bridge Road, Walthamstow, just before 17:30 GMT on Wednesday.

He was pronounced dead at the scene and the Met have launched a murder investigation.

Relatives said his mother, aged in her 40s, and brother, aged in his 20s, were also injured in the attack.

Mr Chaudhry's sister, Afia, said on an online fundraising page: "Yesterday my beautiful baby brother left this world the same way he came in, cradled in my mother's arms.

"He died defending his family. His eyes were bright, his face showed no pain, he was at peace."

Extra officers have been deployed to the area following the incident, the Met has said.

'Tragic circumstances'

Soas University of London, where Mr Chaudhry was a law student, said in a statement it was "shocked and deeply saddened" to learn of his death.

The statement said: "Hussain died yesterday in tragic circumstances, defending his mother in an attack, in the course of which she and his brother Hasan, also a Soas student, were both injured.

"Both Hasan and his mother are recovering and we wish them a swift return to health."

Det Ch Insp Perry Benton said no arrests have been made at the early stage of the murder investigation.

He added: "A young man has lost his life in tragic circumstances and my thoughts are with his family and friends at this awful time.

"The attack happened on a busy road during rush-hour and I know there would have been lots of vehicles passing at the time of the incident."