Four men have been found guilty of murdering an Albanian man who was stabbed after being forcibly stopped in east London.
Muhammad Saqib Khan, 23, from Enfield, and Muhammad Samiyul Miah, 18, from Manor Park, were both convicted of murdering 26-year-old Anselam Senaj after a trial at the Old Bailey. Zain Ali, 21, and Ibrahim Naim, 18, both from East Ham, were also convicted, according to the BBC.
The court heard that Senaj was travelling in the back of a taxi on Victoria Avenue in Newham on November 11, 2023 when the vehicle was stopped by another car with masked men. Six people were travelling in the car, a silver Mitsubishi, and four of them got out, with three of them surrounding the taxi and attacking the victim while he was still in his seat.
The men wore masks, gloves and black clothing while two were carrying knives that were up to 24 inches long, the court was told. One of the attackers stabbed Senaj in the chest and although emergency services were called, he died at the scene. Prosecutor Alexandra Healy KC said: “It appears from the drugs subsequently found on Senaj and the messages taken from his phone that he was involved in drug dealing.
"When Senaj saw the Mitsubishi coming towards him, he clearly understood that he was in danger and told the taxi driver that the passengers were going to kill him. Unfortunately, he was absolutely right."
The prosecution alleged that Khan inflicted the fatal stab wound and that Miah and Ali were the other two men who attacked the taxi.
Khan denied being present at the scene of the murder, while Naim admitted to being the driver of the Mitsubishi car.