Two men have been convicted for murdering a 26-year-old man on the Essex border as he travelled in a taxi. Muhammad Saqib Khan, 23, of Walton Road, Manor Park and Muhammad Samiyul Miah, 18, of Jack Cornwell Street, Manor Park, were found guilty of the murder of Anselam Senaj and possession of a knife on Monday, January 13 after a 14 week trial.
Ibrahim Naim, 18, of Clacton Road, East Ham, and Zain Ali, 21, of Poulett Road, East Ham, were also both convicted of manslaughter. Police said that the “gang of men” used a stolen vehicle to stop the taxi Anselam was travelling in and attacked him, “murdering him in cold blood in a matter of seconds.”
He died after being stabbed inside a car at the junction of Victoria Avenue and Grangewood Street in Newham on Saturday, November 11, 2023, at around 10.10pm. Officers and paramedics rushed to the scene after receiving reports of the attack, but despite their best efforts, Anselam died at the scene.
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Arrest warrants were issued for Miah, Ali and Naim on November 22, 2023, and all three were arrested and charged with murder later that night. Saqib Khan was identified as a further suspect in the killing. Upon his capture, he later lied in court, claiming he was at home playing board games when the murder happened.
He had fled to Amsterdam after the stabbing, and the Met sought positive charging advice in his absence, instigating an international manhunt for him. He was finally arrested by Dutch authorities on December 4, 2023.
Muhammad Samiyul Miah, 18, of Jack Cornwell Street, Manor Park, was found guilty of murder
(Image: Met Police)
He was returned to the UK after being extradited from The Netherlands on 12 January 2024 and taken into custody, where he was charged with murder and possession of a knife. All those convicted were remanded in custody ahead of sentencing at the Old Bailey on Friday, 14 March.
The court heard the evidence that the victim, Mr Senaj, was involved in drug dealing after his body was found with a stash of drugs, and the messages received from his phone were analysed. Detective Sergeant Brett Hagen, who led the investigation, said: “The sequence of events that night resulted in the tragic death of Anselam Senaj. This gang of men utilised a stolen vehicle to stop the taxi he was travelling in the back of and attacked him – murdering him in cold-blood in a matter of seconds.
Anselam Senaj, 26, was stabbed to death in a taxi in Newham
(Image: Met Police)
“A thorough and detailed investigation was conducted and implicated the suspects in this crime. Despite the assertion from Muhammad Saqib Khan in the witness box that he was at home playing board games that evening, the jury saw through these lies and convicted him and others present in the vehicle that night. I’d like to thank the family of Mr Senaj for remaining patient as the trial played out over several weeks.”