Four men jailed over the murder of a man in east London

Four men have been sentenced in relation to the murder of a man in Newham.

It follows a Met investigation that saw one of the perpetrators extradited back from Europe.

Anselam Senaj, 26, was killed after being stabbed in the back of a car in East Ham at around 22:10hrs on Saturday, 11 November 2023.

At the Old Bailey today (Friday, 11 April) four men were sentenced, as follows:

[A] Muhammad Saqib Khan, 24 (21.01.01), of Walton Road, Manor Park, was jailed for life, with minimum term of 26 years for murder.

[B] Muhammad Samiyul Miah, 19 (04.02.06) of Jack Cornwell Street, Manor Park, was jailed for life, to serve a minimum of 25 years in prison for murder.

Their sentences also included terms for possession of a knife.

[C] Ibrahim Naim, 18 (21.07.06), of Clacton Road, East Ham was sentenced to ten and a half years for manslaughter.

[D] Zain Ali, 22 (27.03.03), of Poulett Road, East Ham, was sentenced to 14 years for manslaughter.

Detective Sergeant Brett Hagen, who led the Met's investigation, said: “Anselam Senaj was killed in a brutal cold-blooded assault which lasted seconds, but was so severe he died at the scene.

“Our team conducted a thorough and detailed investigation which led to the arrest of three of the suspects within two weeks of the attack.

“We’d like to thank our partner agencies who helped us ensure the arrest of the final suspect, and bring the case to trial to secure justice for Anselam.

“Our thoughts remain as always with Anselam’s friends and family as they move forward with their life, safe in the knowledge his attackers are behind bars where they belong.”

During a 14-week trial, the court heard the gang of men used a stolen vehicle to stop the taxi Anselam was travelling in and attacked him in the back seat at the junction of Victoria Avenue and Grangewood Street.

Despite the efforts of emergency services, he died at the scene.

The Met’s Specialist Crime Command issued warrants at various addresses in London on 22 November 2023, which led to the arrest of Miah, Ali and Naim who were all charged with murder that night.

They forensically analysed the clothes worn by Anselam and the suspects, as well as downloading phone conversations between the men which all pointed to drug dealing.

The team then identified Khan, who had fled to Amsterdam after the killing, as a further suspect and instigated an international manhunt to bring charges against him.

After extensive enquiries by the Met’s investigative team and following work with international law enforcement partners, Khan was arrested on 4 December 2023 by Dutch authorities.

On 12 January 2024, he was returned to the UK and taken into custody, after being extradited from the Netherlands, where he was charged with murder and possession of a knife.

Khan and Miah were both convicted of the murder and possession of a knife at the Old Bailey on Monday, 13 January.

Naim and Ali were both convicted of manslaughter at the same trial.