Saudi woman stabbed to death in UK for wearing hijab

London, Jun 20: A Saudi Arabian student was stabbed 16 times in a brutal and savage attack as she walked alone to university in London. She was targeted because of her Islamic clothing.

CCTV footage capturing a Saudi student walking alone 20 minutes before she was murdered has been released.

The harrowing clip shows Nahid Almanea, 31, outside shops in Colchester, Essex, just before she was stabbed 16 times in a frenzied attack on a nearby footpath.

Officers believe the PhD student have been targeted because of her traditional Muslim dress - a long, dark robe and a headscarf.

Ms Almanea, who moved to the UK just six months ago, was found bleeding to death at 10.40am on Tuesday in the town.

A 52-year-old man from Colchester has been arrested in connection with the incident. Officers are thought to have requested extra time to question him.

It is the second brutal stabbing in three months in Colchester - James Attfield was stabbed 100 times in a park this March.

Officers today released CCTV footage of Ms Almanea walking past some shops on Hunwicke Road in the town - just minutes away from Salary Brook Trail, where she was attacked.

They appealed for anybody who may have been in or around the shops to come forward if they had been the student - whom they said was about 5ft 4in tall.

They also released information from Ms Almanea's post-mortem. Detective Chief Superintendent Steve Worron said: 'We can now confirm that the cause of death was knife wounds.'

'She suffered at least two knife wounds which would have proved fatal on their own, but in total she was stabbed 16 times to her body, neck, head and arms.

'She also suffered an injury to the back of her head but that is believed to have been caused when she fell to the ground during the attack.

It was said that she would usually walk to university with her brother, with whom she lived, but he started earlier than her on Tuesday so they walked separately.

The 'quiet, considerate' student was wearing a dark blue robe called an Abaya, as well as a multi-coloured hijab scarf, leading police to believe she may have been targeted for religious reasons.

Ms Almanea was taking a language course at Essex University ahead of starting a life sciences PhD. She is thought to have been living in Colchester with her brother.

Paramedics tried to save her but she died at the scene from head and body injuries. Police confirmed Ms Almanea's identity this morning.

Teachers from the English language course Ms Almanea studied - from which she was due to graduate in August - paid tribute to her.

Richard Barnard, head of the University of Essex's International Academy, said: Nahid was a student on the Essex English Language Programme, which develops students' English language skills.

Nahid joined this programme and was a very hard-working and conscientious student, who was making excellent progress.

She was a quiet, considerate and well-respected member of the programme and had ambitions to move on to further academic study. She will be greatly missed by her teachers and her fellow students. '

Muslim student leaders expressed their dismay at the attack.

Omar Ali, president of the Federation of Student Islamic Societies, said: 'A Saudi international student at the University of Essex, Nahid Almanea, had only recently come to the UK in pursuit of an education for a brighter future.

'Essex Police have confirmed that her hijab (Muslim dress) may have played a factor in this horrific crime.

'This is the saddest piece news I have had the displeasure of receiving in all my years of student activism. Our sincere prayers are with our sister who has been murdered and we extend our sincerest condolences to her family.'

Detective Superintendent Tracy Hawkings said officers were keeping an open mind about the motive of the attack.

But she added: 'We are conscious that the dress of the victim will have identified her as likely being a Muslim and this is one of the main lines of the investigation but again there is no firm evidence at this time that she was targeted because of her religion.'

Ms Hawkings said: 'This crime was committed on a busy thoroughfare where you would expect a number of people to be walking.

'It was a brazen, reckless attack and there is a high likelihood people were there or there about at the time.'

The victim is believed to have left her home in the Greenstead area of Colchester at around 10am.

Saudi Arabian diplomats offered condolences to the family, and said they are working to bring home her body.

A statement from the Saudi embassy in the UK said: 'Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Ambassador to the UK, expressed in a telephone call to the brother of the deceased his sincerest condolences to her family.

He affirmed the embassy's speed in taking all the procedures for the transfer of the body of the deceased to the Kingdom.'