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Feud between teenage girls: British Pakistani man killed in London letterbox bombing
A gang of girls may have used the Internet to make a bomb that killed a British-Pakistani man and destroyed three homes in London in their feud with another teenager, according to a report published in The Times on Saturday. Former classmates of Charlotte Anderson, 17, are being sought by police after a blast destroyed her flat, an apartment above and two neighbouring cottages in Harrow, northwest London, the report said. Charlotte suffered serious blast injuries and Emad Qureshi, 26, her neighbour, was killed in the explosion at 9.30pm on Wednesday, it added. Qureshis body was removed from the rubble on Thursday night by firefighters. Originally from Pakistan, the businessman had recently finished a postgraduate degree in computing. A 26-year-old man, a friend of Mr Qureshi, is receiving treatment in hospital after suffering serious head injuries. Recipe: Charlotte had dialled 999 that morning to complain that a group of two or three girls outside were threatening her. She later told police that a purple liquid smelling like rotten eggs had been poured through her letterbox between 9am and 11am. Detectives believe that the blast could have been caused by vapours from methylated spirits or from a high explosive such as methyl ethyl ketone peroxide, which can be made from readily available ingredients using instructions found on the internet. Area of effect: The explosion damaged homes and offices within a 100-metre radius and 40 people were still unable to return to their homes last night as police began to search the rubble. Friends said that Charlotte had been involved in arguments with other girls about her boyfriend but police said that this was not part of their investigation. Detective Chief Inspector Colin Sutton said, A strong line of inquiry for us at the moment is the dispute, this call at the address and of course the substance put through the letterbox. There may well be a connection between this liquid and the cause of the explosion that happened. If it were a volatile liquid and in a confined space, it could evaporate into an explosive mixture. Police believe that Charlotte knows the girls who were causing the disturbance and that they may have gone to the same school or college. Andrew Haynes, 44, a gravedigger, and his two friends rescued Charlotte after they saw her arm poking through the rubble and heard her screams for help. She is being treated in hospital for severe burns. Posted by: Fred 2008-05-11 |
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