Killing of grandfather near mosque 'was act of terrorism': Police question Ukrainian man held over mosque bomb attacks on suspicion of his fatal stabbing

• Police granted extra time to question Ukrainian men in connection with mosque explosions
• One of two men arrested in connection with murder of Mohammed Saleem
• Mr Saleem, 75, stabbed and stamped on as he walked back from mosque

By DAVID WILKES and CHRIS GREENWOOD

PUBLISHED: 21:45 GMT, 20 July 2013 | UPDATED: 10:47 GMT, 22 July 2013

A grandfather fatally stabbed in the back as he walked home from a mosque was killed ‘for his faith’ in an ‘act of terrorism’, his daughter claimed yesterday.

Mohammed Saleem, 75, was stabbed three times and stamped on in the senseless attack as he returned from evening prayers three months ago.

As police quizzed a Ukrainian over the killing, counter terrorist detectives launched a separate inquiry to discover whether the suspect – along with a potential accomplice – were ‘lone wolves’ who have links to far-right terrorist groups.

The engineering students, aged 22 and 25, on work placements at a high-tech computer company, were initially held last week by detectives investigating explosions near three mosques across the West Midlands.

Now the 25-year-old has also been arrested in connection with the investigation into the murder of Mr Saleem as part of the on-going counter terrorism operation into the blasts.

Yesterday Mr Saleem’s daughter, Shazia Khan, 45, said: ‘It was an act of terrorism because he was killed for his faith and that is exactly what the police have arrested this man for, on terrorism grounds.

‘We feel relieved that we are getting somewhere because things were going very quiet and we were getting worried that there was no progress being made and there were no clues.’

Mr Saleem’s widow Said, 69, who was married to him for 50 years, fought back tears to say what happened to him was ‘so wrong’.

The two suspects were on placements at software company Delcam on an industrial estate in Small Heath, Birmingham, one-and-a-half miles from Mr Saleem’s home.

The firm has a training centre in Lutsk, Ukraine, and close links with universities in the country – a known hotbed of anti-Islamic hatred.

Ultra-nationalist party, Svoboda (Freedom) was a shock winner in elections there last year, capturing 10 per cent of the vote.

Members of Ukrainian female protest group Femen demonstrated topless in London to draw attention to what they called ‘bloody Islamist regimes’ taking part in the 2012 Olympics.

FULL STORY: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2371891/Mohammed-Saleem-mur...