Tangalle shooting: Three more suspects surrender
December 29, 2011 12:22 pm
Khuram Shaikh
Three more suspects who were wanted in connection with the killing of a British tourist, have surrendered to the police. The suspects are currently being questioned by police.
The foreigner had been assaulted and murdered by group of individuals during a party at a resort in Tangalle at around 3am on December 25. The body of the victim reportedly bore wounds inflicted using sharp objects and also gunshot wounds.
The Tangalle Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman had reportedly been present at the time of the incident and was suspected to be involved surrendered himself to the police on December 26.
The British tourist’s companion, who was also attacked, is currently being treated at the ICU of the Karapitiya Hospital.
The victim, Khuram Shaikh is a volunteer for the International Committee of the Red Cross at the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile foreign media reports that his bereaved family, from Milnrow, paid tribute to a ‘courageous son’.
They said they are still unclear how the 32-year-old became involved in the dispute. But they believe he was simply in the wrong place when the row flared up between two rival gangs.
Mr Shaikh had travelled to the popular coastal resort with colleague Victoria Alexandrova, 23, a Russian citizen, who was also badly injured in the attack.
Mr Shaikh managed a programme in the Gaza Strip fitting prosthetics on people injured during violence.
His brother Nasir, 40, an NHS project manager, described how the family received the terrible news on Christmas Day.
He said: “Local police say there was an altercation between two groups and Khuram was in the vicinity. There are reports that he tried to calm the situation down and was targeted, but we don’t know what the truth is.
“Basically, he was there on holiday. The aid workers have to have a week-long break every three months. He was going there to get away.
“The job he was doing took him to some dangerous places – and he was living in Gaza – so there was no concern about a holiday in Sri Lanka. He had been there on a break earlier this year and talked about how beautiful it was.”
His father Mohammad, 65, a retired businessman, added: “He was a charismatic and confident person. The most important thing for him was giving back to other people.
“He lived for helping people and obviously it is a great loss not just for us but for the Red Cross, and the people he was helping.”
Nasir, 40, is now preparing to travel to Colombo to help repatriate his brother’s body with the help of the Red Cross and the Foreign Office.
The Salford University graduate, who also had two younger sisters, had worked in Norway and Ireland before joining the Geneva-based organisation in 2009. He had previously carried out rehabilitation work in North Korea.
The International Red Cross said it was ‘deeply shocked... and grieved by the loss’.
Spokesman Hicham Hassan said: “Mr Shaikh was working as the head of our physical rehabilitation programme in Gaza. He was due to finish his placement there in four months.
“Working with the Red Cross often means being in dangerous places. Mr Shaikh would have been motivated by a humanitarian desire to help others.”
Tangalle is a popular tourist resort about 100 miles south of the capital Colombo.
The Foreign Office said: “Next of kin have been informed and we are providing consular assistance.”
Three more suspects who were wanted in connection with the killing of a British tourist, have surrendered to the police. The suspects are currently being questioned by police.
The foreigner had been assaulted and murdered by group of individuals during a party at a resort in Tangalle at around 3am on December 25. The body of the victim reportedly bore wounds inflicted using sharp objects and also gunshot wounds.
The Tangalle Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman had reportedly been present at the time of the incident and was suspected to be involved surrendered himself to the police on December 26.
The British tourist’s companion, who was also attacked, is currently being treated at the ICU of the Karapitiya Hospital.
The victim, Khuram Shaikh is a volunteer for the International Committee of the Red Cross at the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile foreign media reports that his bereaved family, from Milnrow, paid tribute to a ‘courageous son’.
They said they are still unclear how the 32-year-old became involved in the dispute. But they believe he was simply in the wrong place when the row flared up between two rival gangs.
Mr Shaikh had travelled to the popular coastal resort with colleague Victoria Alexandrova, 23, a Russian citizen, who was also badly injured in the attack.
Mr Shaikh managed a programme in the Gaza Strip fitting prosthetics on people injured during violence.
His brother Nasir, 40, an NHS project manager, described how the family received the terrible news on Christmas Day.
He said: “Local police say there was an altercation between two groups and Khuram was in the vicinity. There are reports that he tried to calm the situation down and was targeted, but we don’t know what the truth is.
“Basically, he was there on holiday. The aid workers have to have a week-long break every three months. He was going there to get away.
“The job he was doing took him to some dangerous places – and he was living in Gaza – so there was no concern about a holiday in Sri Lanka. He had been there on a break earlier this year and talked about how beautiful it was.”
His father Mohammad, 65, a retired businessman, added: “He was a charismatic and confident person. The most important thing for him was giving back to other people.
“He lived for helping people and obviously it is a great loss not just for us but for the Red Cross, and the people he was helping.”
Nasir, 40, is now preparing to travel to Colombo to help repatriate his brother’s body with the help of the Red Cross and the Foreign Office.
The Salford University graduate, who also had two younger sisters, had worked in Norway and Ireland before joining the Geneva-based organisation in 2009. He had previously carried out rehabilitation work in North Korea.
The International Red Cross said it was ‘deeply shocked... and grieved by the loss’.
Spokesman Hicham Hassan said: “Mr Shaikh was working as the head of our physical rehabilitation programme in Gaza. He was due to finish his placement there in four months.
“Working with the Red Cross often means being in dangerous places. Mr Shaikh would have been motivated by a humanitarian desire to help others.”
Tangalle is a popular tourist resort about 100 miles south of the capital Colombo.
The Foreign Office said: “Next of kin have been informed and we are providing consular assistance.”
