The man convicted of the murder of beloved Glasgow shopkeeper Asad Shah has been jailed for life.
At the High Court in Glasgow today, Tanveer Ahmed, 32, from Bradford, Yorkshire, was sentenced to a minimum of 27 years for the religiously motived murder.
Judge Lady Rae told Ahmed he was guilty of the “barbaric killing of a peace-loving man” and “an appalling display of merciless violence”.
Cab driver Ahmed stabbed Shah outside his convenience store after viewing videos the victim had posted on social media about his beliefs.
The shopkeeper was an Ahmadiyya, a minority sect not recognised by all Muslims, who had posted hundreds of videos about his religious beliefs on his Facebook page.
Last month, Ahmed pleaded guilty to the murder and told the court Shah had “disrespected” Islam.
The court was told Ahmed drove to Glasgow from Bradford on the day of the murder. During the journey, Ahmed watched online footage of Shah and believed the shopkeeper was claiming to be a prophet.
Ahmed arrived at the shop at around 9pm, where Shah was working with an assistant, Stephen McFadyen.
The prosecutor said Ahmed then approached the counter and began speaking to Shah before attacking him with a knife that he had concealed in his robes.
The shop assistant attempted to help but was unable to stop the “fast moving” attack, which involved repeated stab wounds aimed at Shah’s head and upper body.
The prosecutor told the court that Shah attempted to escape but Ahmed “kept hold of him and continued striking him with the knife”.
Shah was given CPR and taken to hospital in Glasgow but died from his injuries an hour later.
After the attack, Ahmed made no attempt to escape and calmly walked to a bus shelter with his “head bowed as if in prayer”.
He told the police officers who found him: “I respect what you do and I have nothing against you and so I am not going to hurt you. I have broken the law and appreciate how you are treating me.”
Shah’s wife, parents and six siblings released a statement, which said they could no longer live normal lives and some intended to leave Scotland.
His parents said: “We brought our children to this country to seek refuge from Pakistan in 1991, fleeing persecution, religious hatred, discrimination and a danger to our lives because we were Ahmadis.
“We never thought that we could be in danger here. We feel imprisoned by our pain and suffering and we have little hope of ever having a normal life again.”
Source
Ellis Hawthorne
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