Pimlico stabbing

A post-mortem has confirmed that a 16-year-old died from stab wounds after an attack in Pimlico.Police are continuing to appeal for witnesses to the incident near Lupus Street on Sunday evening.It's believed the victim, Hani Abou el Kheir, was attacked by several youths.

Police have released a photograph of the 16-year-old who was stabbed to death in Pimlico.

Hani Hicham Abou El Kheir was taken to hospital on Sunday evening but died later that night.

The post-mortem will take place later of the 16 year old boy stabbed to death in Pimlico on Sunday. Hani Abou El Kheir was set upon by a gang in a suspected drugs related attack. No arrests have been made

Scotland Yard tonight confirmed the identity of 16-year-old boy stabbed to death in Pimlico.

Hani Hicham Abou El-Kheir was killed near his home last night. A post-mortem examination is due to take place tomorrow at noon.

Detectives continued to appeal for witnesses and said Hani was assaulted by "several youths".The force said they were "retaining an open mind regarding any motive at this stage".

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said:

"It is heart breaking to see the life of another young Londoner taken so tragically. My thoughts are with this young man's family at such a terrible moment."

"This horrific incident serves as an unwelcome reminder that although violent crime in the capital continues to fall, we must continue our fight to tackle youth violence and get knives off our streets."

Ronke Phillips reports from the scene:

The 16 year old boy stabbed to death by a gang in Pimlico has been named by family friends as Hani Abou El-Kheir.

Today, family friend Mahmoud Abosiad visited the family and said: "He was a lovely boy. He did not deserve to end up on a slab."

The teenager was taken from Lupus Street to a south London hospital where he died a few hours later.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said no arrest has yet been made.

He said: "A murder inquiry is now under way and an incident room will open in due course under detectives from the Specialist Crime and Operations Directorate.

"We must retain an open mind re the circumstances of the incident and any motive at this early stage."

Anyone with any information can call police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Lupus Street - the road where the murder took place - is close to Pimlico Underground station and bordered by extensive council estates on one side and is home to Pimlico Academy.

A 58-year-old local resident said there had been two murders in nearby Gloucester Street in recent years and a stabbing of a boy in Lupus Street before Christmas.

"The violence that has started to occur around here is something else, it is frightening for all the residents," she said.

"You used to be able to walk around at night but I am starting to be very wary, especially at night-time."

Another resident, from nearby Peabody Close, said his friend had witnessed a gang made up of black and white teenagers carrying out the attack.

"He said they were carrying knives, some of them with wide swords. He said the victim was screaming and trying to get away," he said.

He said his friend told him that the gang had scattered and run off in different directions.