Tower Hamlets stabbing: Two guilty of murdering friend

Mohammed Aqil Mahdi was stabbed eight times

Two men have been found guilty of murdering their friend after luring him into a dead-end road in east London.

Mohammed Aqil Mahdi, 22, was "wholly unaware" of the imminent knife attack as he walked down a secluded pathway in Bow, Tower Hamlets, last November.

The student, who lived in Camden, was stabbed eight times. His body was found by a dog walker, the Old Bailey heard.

Majed Ahmed, 19, and Muzahid Ali, 22, of east London, will be sentenced on 14 July.

A third defendant, Abul Kashem, 29, also from east London, was found not guilty.

Majed Ahmed and Muzahid Ali will be sentenced next week

Prosecutor Gareth Patterson QC said Mr Mahdi had been in the company of his attackers for several hours before he was led to his death.

He said: "His death was not the result of an attack by strangers. His so-called friends suddenly produced a knife or knives that had been concealed and they launched their attack.

"The victim was unarmed and didn't stand a chance against them, trapped as he was in that small area."

'Left to die'

Mr Mahdi was stabbed eight times to his body, front and back, in the attack that lasted a little over a minute, the court heard.

"The defendants then calmly turned and walked away together, at some stage getting rid of their weapons," Mr Patterson added.

"They left him to die and by the time he was found by a member of the public walking his dog the next morning, he was dead."

Det Ch Insp Laurence Smith, who led the investigation, said he hoped the verdict would offer the victim's family "a shred of comfort".

He said: "I cannot imagine what went through Aqil's mind in those last few moments, and my and the team's thoughts are with his family and friends today."

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