Source/Credit: Mirror
A HEARTFELT plea for peace from a dad just hours after his son was killed may have saved a city from further bloodshed, a top cop said yesterday.
West Midlands Chief Constable Chris Sims was speaking after a visit to the home of murder victim Haroon Jahan, 21, to meet his grieving father Tariq.
Mechanic Haroon was one of three men killed by a hit-and-run driver while helping to protect a mosque and shops from rioters in Birmingham.
“I think it had a decisive impact in preventing Birmingham from suffering from tensions and violence between communities.”
Garage boss Mr Jahan had stood outside his home on Tuesday and said: “Blacks, Asians, whites – we all live in the same community. Why do we have to kill one another? Why are we doing this? Step forward if you want to lose your sons. Otherwise calm down and go home… please.”
Chief Constable Sims spent 10 minutes with Tariq in the terraced house yards from where his son and brothers Shazad Ali, 30, and Abdul Musavir, 31, were killed.
Car wash boss Shazad’s pregnant wife Khansa, 22, was last night said to believe the three men are now “watching over us”.
Shazad and Abdul’s sister Sumera, 25, said yesterday: “She is bearing up. She is saying they are lucky to go in this blessed month of Ramadan. The doors of hell are closed and straight away they will go to heaven to watch over us.”
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