
A man who stabbed a love rival to death with a “zombie knife” has been jailed for life in the UK. The incident happened at a gas station in the East Midlands city of Nottingham on January 31. Convicted killer 22-year-old Haseeb Majid attacked 26-year-old Mohammed Duraab Khan after he commenced a relationship with Majid’s ex-girlfriend.
The romance, which began in September last year, had reportedly caused “bad blood” between the two men. Jurors saw CCTV footage of Majid doing a sharp u-turn in his car after spotting Khan sitting in a passenger seat on the gas station forecourt. He stabbed Mr. Khan sixteen times in just thirteen seconds, the jury heard.
Majid’s attorneys insisted, however, that their client had acted in self-defense after Khan hit him with a steering lock, bruising his wrist. Mr. Majid only brandished the knife to scare Khan, lawyers said, but he “lost control” following the steering lock injury. The jury was unconvinced, however, and found Mr. Khan guilty of first-degree murder.
The victim’s family paid tribute to their relative, calling him a “ray of sunshine” who always looked at life through a positive lens. They said they would not “dwell on the tragedy” but remember him as a joyful individual. His twin sister, Arshah Khan, said she “cannot fathom” going through life without him at her side.
The killing is the latest in a series of violent incidents involving so-called “zombie knives,” which the British government has recently banned. The law, which takes effect in late September, was enacted in response to thousands of annual offenses involving the weapons, which are large knives that usually have wording or images printed on their serrated blades.
Under the new legislation, ownership, production, possession, supply, or sale of the weapons are prohibited, and violations will carry a jail term. Machetes are also banned. Police gave owners just over a month to hand in their weapons without facing legal consequence, and even paid them around $12 in compensation.
Statistics show that there were 46,153 knife-related violent offenses in England and Wales in 2022. This figure increased to 49,489 the following year, prompting a government pledge to crack down on knife ownership.