Hastings murder - kebab shop owner speaks out
THE owenr of the kebab shop where the murder victim had been on the evening has spoken out.
Mohammed Al-Majed had been socialising at club run from the USA Fried Chicken and Kebab House.
At the back of the shop there is a large licensed bar area with pool tables, arcade machines and couches, which is used as a regular hangout by foreign students who study English each summer at the nearby EF Languages School.
Owner Remzi Tanriverdi, 43 said trouble started after a pair of local thugs aged between 19 and 22, who are well known to Mr Tanriverdi as regular troublemakers, turned up at the kebab shop and started drinking cans of lager at the picnic benches outside.
They were soon joined by two more hoodie-wearing louts and two girls, all of whom were guzzling beer and bottles of alcopop.
Dr Tanriverdi, a doctor of political science with two degrees who moved to England from Turkey five years ago, asked them to leave but they refused and hurled abuse at him.
The former National Project Co-ordinator for the UN in Turkey said: 'As soon as I saw them, I knew those boys would cause trouble. Whenever they turn up, trouble soon follows.
'After I asked them to leave, I noticed a police car pull up outside, so I went over and spoke to the officers. I asked them to keep an eye on the boys, and they said they would - then left.
'Less than an hour later, Mohammed - who was like a brother to everyone here - had been beaten to death by those boys.
'It's so sad, there are no words that can describe the horror of what happened - and for nothing. The attack was completely unprovoked and without reason.'
Dr Tanriverdi - known to the Arabic students as Uncle Remzi - has himself been physically attacked more than 25 times since he bought the kebab shop in 2005.
He added: 'Those boys would never hurt a fly. They come from a culture where this sort of thing does not happen.
'This incident will be disastrous for Britain's relationship with the United Arab Emirates.
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Weather for Lewes
Tuesday 07 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -5 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: North east
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