Killer of sheikh’s son gets 27 years

A mugger who stabbed a sheikh’s son to death outside Harrods for his £34,000 designer watch has been jailed for at least 27 years.

Badir Rahim Alnazi, 24, knifed Mohammed Al-Araimi, 20, and his university friend Nasser Kanoo, 21, after they dined at Italian restaurant Sale E Pepe in Knightsbridge.

Mr Al-Araimi, the son of an Omani business tycoon, was stabbed to the left side of the front upper chest on 5 December 2019.

He collapsed under a Christmas tree next to Harrods and died from his injuries just 40 minutes later.

Mr Kanoo, who studied at King’s College London with Mr Al-Araimi, was stabbed to the left side of his back, just above the hip.

Mr Al-Arami was wearing a Patek Phillipe watch worth £34,460 when he was stabbed while his friend’s timepiece was a Rolex worth £7,150, but the muggers fled empty-handed.

Alnazi was found guilty of murdering Mr Al-Araimi and wounding Mr Kanoo with intent to cause grievous bodily harm by a jury at Inner London Crown Court last month.

His acomplice Arseboon Dilbaro, 23, was convicted of wounding Mr Kanoo but cleared by the jury of murder, manslaughter and possessing a knife.

Kuwaiti Alnazi had admitted manslaughter but claimed he stabbed Mr Al-Arami after he swore at him in Arabic and spat at him.

Alnazi said he asked Mr Al-Araimi for a cigarette and the victim responded with an ‘Arabic cuss’ which translates as: ‘Go away and may your father be cursed.’

German national Dilbaro denied he was armed and told the jury he had no idea what Alnazi was planning.

Judge Usha Karu said Alnazi has six previous convictions for 13 offences including robbery with a knife.

She told him: ‘You were motivated by some desire for revenge for imagined humiliation as you saw it, there was no provocation.

‘There is no sentence that the court passes that could reflect the loss of human life.’

Alnazi was handed a life sentence and ordered to serve at least 27 years before he can be considered for parole.

Jailing Dilbaro for two years and nine months the judge said: ‘You were found guilty of wounding as Alnazi’s accomplice.

‘You fled the jurisdiction and you gave no assistance to the authorities on your return.

‘You were plainly assisting Alnazi when he turned to Mr Kanoo.

‘You were aware of Alnazi’s violent nature and you attempted to preach restraint… but you remained with him during the evening for no apparent purpose.

‘You continue to deny your part in this claiming to be a bystander.

‘You were one year into a university degree when the offence occurred.

‘You have no previous convictions. You were aged 21 at the time, now age 23. This was your first experience of custody.’

Alnazi and Dilbaro became friends after meeting during Ramadan at a Mosque in 2015.

Mr Al-Araimi was a politics and economics student at King’s College London.

His father, Sheikh Abdalla Al-Araimi owns the Al Raid Group, a group of companies that develop shopping malls and leisure centres in Oman.

The victim’s brother Raid Al Araimi said in a victim impact statement: ‘On 6 December our lives were changed.

‘His university bag, sunglasses, clothes and shoes by the door but he has gone.

‘The mother that has raised her child with love is about to say her prayers on his resting body and the father heading to the cemetery will never see him again in this world.’

Mr Kanoo said: ‘What commenced as a bad enough day turned into a nightmare.

‘Never would I have imagined that a casual dinner would be the last time I would see my best friend Mohammed.

‘He would never fail to turn a miserable day into one of joy or love.

‘Even though his days were not as long as we all hoped, his memories will live on.’

Anthony Orchard, prosecuting, said the killers had gone out that night looking for a victim or victims to rob.

‘Their circuitous route to Knightsbridge demonstrating their desire to wait for the right victim or victims in the right location.

‘Unfortunately for them, the two friends, Mohammed Al-Araimi and Nasser Kanoo were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

‘Both victims were stabbed.

‘Mohammed Al-Araimi died less than an hour later.

‘Tragically he became yet another victim of knife crime.’

Security officers from Harrods and police rushed to Mr Al-Araimi’s aid but he was pronounced dead shortly after midnight on 6 December.

The killers walked off in the opposite direction and they were captured on a CCTV camera at the Park Tower Casino.

‘The clothing and faces of both can be seen clearly.’

Alnazi is captured on CCTV dropping a 13 cm long cardboard knife sheaf on the pavement which held the 10 cm blade used in the stabbing.

Kuwaiti citizen Alnazi walked into Charing Cross Police Station on 8 January 2020 after two CCTV clips were released to the media and he saw himself on social media.

Following his arrest Alnazi denied his involvement in the attack and said: ‘I am innocent of these charges.

‘I deny that I went to Knightsbridge with the intention to commit robbery.’

Police went to an address in Ashburnham Road, Kensal Green, looking for Dilbaro on 15 January but he had flown to Cairo two days after the killing.

He returned to the UK last 14 July and was arrested at Heathrow.

CCTV footage played in court showed Alnazi and Dilbaro looking at two women coming out of a shop carrying designer handbags.

Mr Orchard asked Alnazi whether the pair were looking for someone to rob.

Alnazi replied: ‘I was looking at them because they’re beautiful women.’

Mr Orchard said the pair were loitering, waiting for someone to rob, when they spotted Mr Al-Arami and Mr Kanoo.

Alnazi claimed he decided to ‘confront them’ when they cursed his father and had the knife in his hand to protect himself.

‘I didn’t know I stabbed him,’ he said.

Dilbaro told the court Alnazi threatened him and told him to ‘take the blame’ for the murder.

He said the next day he went to Alnazi’s house and his friend was ‘stressed out’ and ‘unhappy’ after reading a newspaper article about the fatal stabbing.

‘Alnazi said he can’t go to jail because if he gets done for the that he’s never going to come out because of his previous convictions,’ said Dilbaro.

‘Both of his brothers are in jail and he needs to take care of his mum so he can’t go to jail.

‘He said that I have to take the wrap for it…he asked me to take the blame for what happened.’

Dilbaro also recalled an encounter in HMP Wandsworth when Alnazi allegedly told him: ‘If you snitch I’m going to kill you. You’re the one the one that killed Al-Araimi.’

Chris Burton, defending, said Dilbaro now hopes to continue studying his degree in computer science.

Alnazi, of Beaconsfield Road, Brent, denied but was convicted of murder and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. He admitted manslaughter and possession of an offensive weapon.

Dilbaro, of Green Avenue, Mill Hill, denied and was cleared of murder, manslaughter and possession of an offensive weapon. He was convicted of wounding.

Alnazi and Dilbaro were both cleared of attempted robbery.

Samantha Yelland, from the CPS, said: ‘Killer Badir Al-Nazi set out armed with a knife in central London. He and Arseboon Dilbaro were waiting for victims.

‘Mohammed Al-Araimi and his friend had simply gone out for dinner together and could never have anticipated the violence that would be inflicted upon them that evening.

‘The prosecution case included strong witness testimony from the surviving victim and phone evidence as well as CCTV footage which caught the attackers in action.

‘Mohammed Al-Araimi had a bright and promising future ahead of him, and although nothing can bring him back, I hope these convictions provide some comfort to his family and friends. Our thoughts remain with them at this time.’

Both men appeared in court wearing white shirts with black skinny ties and black suit trousers. They sat at either end of the dock and Alnazi hung his head throughout the hearing.