Ahmed Alid: The religious extremist whose terrifying attack in Hartlepool left a pensioner dead
On 15 October last year, Moroccan asylum seeker Ahmed Alid stabbed a pensioner six times in Hartlepool town centre.
Minutes earlier and armed with two knives, at around 5am, he had broken into the bedroom of his housemate and hacked at him while he slept.
The 45-year-old said he was inspired by “revenge” for the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Alid was convicted following trial of the murder of Terence Carney and attempting to murder his housemate Javed Nouri. He was also found guilty of assaulting two detectives.
He was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 45 years on Friday 17 May.
This is what happened.
October last year and the night-time peace of Hartlepool’s streets was about to be shattered by hatred.
A religious extremist living at a terraced property, shared by asylum seekers, chose the middle of the night to launch a sudden and murderous rampage.
"Had it not been for the prompt response of Cleveland Police, I’m sure we would have had more fatalities that day" - Paul Crowley, Cleveland Police Federation
Ahmed Alid, an immigrant refused asylum in Germany after years of moving between thirteen different European countries, decided to unleash a punishment he later told police was for the people of Gaza and what Britain deserved for its support of Israel.
Beginning with one of his own housemates, Javed Nouri, whose conversion to Christianity made him his first target as he slept.
"He took it upon himself to enter the room, to cause Mr Nouri harm purely because of his religious beliefs" - Head of Counter Terrorism North East, Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley
By the time police arrived, Alid had fled the house thinking he had successfully murdered Mr Nouri.
However, he survived after extensive surgery despite stab wounds in the chest and leg that left him bleeding extensively.
But the 45-year-old wanted more dead and a camera caught sight of him crossing the street with his knife raised, searching for his next victim.
It was 5am by now. The roads were almost empty. Closer towards the town centre, 70-year-old grandfather Terrence Carney was taking a regular early morning walk.
CCTV captured him quietly crossing the street.
Coming the other way though was Alid, who decided this "innocent old man", as he described, him would be next.
The attack itself was brief. Alid’s cries in Arabic of "God is great" rang out.
His victim bled out and died just metres from the town’s police station that he had been staggering towards. The Judge said Alid showed Mr Carney "no mercy" and "left him on the road," where he died.
Mr Carney suffered injuries to the lung, liver, and heart, during the attack and was stabbed six times.
Still armed and moving further towards the town centre, armed police brought Alid's assault to an end, in just 20 minutes. He was arrested with a knife positioned in his waistband.
The officers who apprehended him were praised for their swift and safe containment of a suspect in circumstances the region has never seen before - and for bringing him in alive.
"Instances like this don't routinely take place in places like Hartlepool, or in the North East in general," a Cleveland Police representative told ITV Tyne Tees.
"We see news stories coming back from London and all around the world, where we have incidents of a terrorist nature where the suspect is shot and killed. But we need to be seen to be bringing people to justice.
Paul Crowley continued: "The officers, the way that they acted, the way that they detained the offender without any further harm being caused, was simply outstanding."
As he was booked in for questioning, Alid unapologetically made his motivations clear.
The Judge told today of how Alid "explained that the issue was the independence of Palestine - he had killed two adults in revenge for Israel killing innocent people and children by air strikes".
She told how Alid "said that if he had more weapons and a machine gun he would have killed thousands".
During the interview, Alid became "irritated" with the interpreter, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said.
She told the court how after that interview, Alid got up and blocked the door, preventing the officers from opening it.
"His solicitor was so concerned, he made an emergency call from inside the room. When the door was opened from the outside, the defendant lunged at two female interviewing officers, and he refused to release her.
"The other officer tried to separate them. All three fell to the floor. The officers were shaken, and one suffered modest injury."
Alid was charged the following day on 16 October 2023.
This lone operator carried out what he called his "raid", classed as part of an increasing threat that is hard to spot and even harder to stop before it is too late.
Dr Tarela Ike, Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Policing at Teesside University told ITV Tyne Tees: "A lone operator, operates in isolation. They are solitary in nature, which makes it difficult to counter because they don't speak to people about it.
"It could be spontaneous, meaning you won't be made aware of when they're going to attack."
"Alid was hellbent on causing harm that day. Had we not stopped him, we would have had far more fatalities in Hartlepool" - Head of Counter Terrorism North East, Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley
Alid claimed his intentions were to influence Britain's leaders, which the Judge said were designed to "intimidate" and "frighten" the people of Britain.
Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said he had waited to assault Mr Nouri when he was “asleep and vulnerable,” and that “the life he had started to build in this country was shattered by what happened”.
The judge then said Alid "attacked an unarmed and elderly man who was unable to defend himself".
However, Ahmed Alid will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars, with the Judge passing down a life sentence, with a minimum term of 45 years in prison before he can apply for parole.
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