'It is heart-breaking' - Muslim community reacts to death of 18-year-old stabbed after attending Ramadan prayers at Smethwick mosque
Eighteen -year-old Zeshan Afzal was stabbed and left with fatal wounds moments after leaving a Smethwick mosque where he attended Ramadan prayers.
Mr Afzal, who lived near the worship centre was discovered with serious injuries following reports of disorder in the car park at the premises, in Oldbury Road, Smethwick at just before 9pm on February 20.
He was among around 200 people who had been attending Friday night prayers at the Jamia Masjid ahead of the end of the day's fasting when he was attacked in the enclosed car park.
A mosque member, aged 48, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisals, said: " It is heart-breaking. I knew Zeshan and his father. He was a good kid. He used to attend the mosque. I wasn't at the service last night, but my 19-year-old son was there. The speech finished at about 9am and some people were leaving while others were socialising inside.
"My son came outside at about 9.10 and the ambulance and police were already here.
"We don't know what happened, but there is talk of some other kids who were here outside and then there was fighting going on. I can only assume that there may have been some kind of tension for something like this to occur.
