Arab student beaten to death in racist attack in Britain
26 Aug 2008, 1119 Hrs

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London, Aug 26 (ANI): A foreign student visiting Britain to learn about its culture and traditions has been murdered by a mob of thugs in a drunken racist attack.

Mohammed Al-Majed, 16, died from severe head injuries two days after the unprovoked assault in the seaside town of Hastings, East Sussex.

Police are treating the death of al-Majed as a racially motivated murder after he was attacked by a group of young people whose behaviour had already been reported to police.

Muhammad, believed to be the son of a wealthy family in the oil-rich Qatar, was leaving the USA Fried Chicken restaurant, which houses a club popular with foreign students, in Hastings late on Friday night when his attackers struck.

The teenager was beaten, kicked and pelted with bottles by the gang, who stamped on his head.

His room-mate, Abdul Aziz, 17, said: "Muhammad was everyone's friend. We cannot believe something like this could happen."

Another friend, who suffered severe bruising and a head injury needing six stitches, did not want to be named said: "It's like a nightmare. I can't even bear to think about it."

Muhammad had been studying English at one of the summer language schools in the seaside resort. Remzi Tanriverdi, 43, owner of the club, said that trouble started when a pair of local men turned up.

He claimed that an hour before Muhammad was attacked he had warned police to keep an eye on the group, The Times reported.

Sussex Police said: "Police are treating Muhammad's death as a murder inquiry, and are investigating it as racially motivated."

Two men aged 18 and 20 and a boy aged 17 have been arrested and bailed. (ANI)