Two teenagers stabbed to death in England

Two teenagers were stabbed to death just hours apart in separate attacks last night.

A 19-year-old student was killed on a petrol station forecourt in a savage gang attack in Wealdstone, north London at 7.30pm.
Three hours later an 18-year-old man was fatally stabbed at the other end of the capital, outside Maryland railway station in Leystonstone Road. He was taken to Royal London hospital with a wound to the torso, but died shortly afterwards. The last victim became the third teenager to die violently in the capital so far this year, raising fears of a new wave of knife crime. Last year, 22 young people were stabbed to death in the capital, but police and politicians claimed they were making inroads after seeing a reduction in the rate on the previous 12 months. Witnesses told how student, Hassan Kul Hawadleh, 19, had stopped to fill up his car with petrol at the Total service station in High Street, Wealdstone last night when he and a friend were attacked by up to eight men. The Somali teenager was stabbed in the chest and collapsed, covered in blood, in front of horrified customers and staff at the north west London garage. He was declared dead at the scene. His friend, also 19, was stabbed in the torso but survived. He was rushed to a west London hospital, where he remained today in a stable condition. Friends of the pair claimed today that they were the latest victims of a simmering feud between groups of Somali and Afghan youths in the area. A police source confirmed that officers were investigating whether the attack was linked to rivalry between the two groups. Police said Mr Hawadleh was attacked by up to eight men as he was refilling his carMr Hawadleh, of Colindale, was described by friends today as 'gentle' and a 'hard-working' student who may have been targeted simply because he was Somali. The former Alperton Community School pupil listed his interests on the social networking site Facebook as 'Playing Football, Getting my Grub on, Hanging out with the fellas, meeting new people, road trips, different cultures' and 'trying to perfect my left handwriting'. Friend Issaq Soul, 23, said: 'There is a war going on between the Afghans and the Somalis. The tension has been building. They want to call the shots around here. 'They are completely lawless. But Kul wasn't caught up in all that.' Mr Soul claimed the killing was linked to another recent attack in which a 16-year-old Somali youth was stabbed by local Afghans. He also spoke of another incident in which masked Afghans had stormed a local Somali cafe armed with knives and machetes. The student added: 'I was followed by a gang of Afghans on my way to the barber's shop the other day.
'It is totally out of hand. The police have to step in now because it is only going to get worse after this.'

Source: MareegOnine