Feud clue in Sait murder inquiry
RAP INSULT ON YOUTUBE COULD HAVE STOKED TENSION IN DAYS BEFORE ATTACK
A CONFLICT between street-fighting rivals in Ardwick and Moss Side could provide answers in the search for Sait Mboob’s killer.
The Manchester Evening News understands that a feud has developed between rival factions of young men associated with these areas, stoked by neighbourhood rappers insulting each other in videos posted on YouTube.
In the days before Sait’s killing, it’s understood that a ‘diss’ track was released by MCs in Ardwick. This track is believed to have raised tensions.
Business student Sait, who once had hopes of being signed to Manchester City’s youth academy, is not thought to have been involved in gangs. But a potential line of enquiry is that he fell victim to a street faction who had a grudge against peers in Moss Side.
A number of addresses in the Ardwick Green area, to the south east of Manchester city centre, have been searched and cordoned off by police investigating Sait’s murder.
Sait, a former student of Connell Sixth Form College in Beswick, was stabbed, along with two 17-year-old boys and an 18-year-old man, after a brawl broke out on Millennium Green, Moss Side, on Tuesday night.
One of the 17-year-olds remained in hospital in a stable condition. The other teenagers have been discharged.
A friend told the M.E.N: “His friends were like brothers to him, they all stick up for each other. Everyone that Sait knows was making music but his thing was football. Quite a few were very young. Their music wasn’t insulting anyone, but Ardwick were sending threats through a song.”
Police say they are ‘keeping an open mind as to motive,’ and that ‘a line of enquiry is whether the offenders have links to street criminality.’
Sait, 18, was a keen footballer who had played for the City Select Squad, a youth team which can offer a route to a future with the club. He did not break through to the Academy but continued with the amateur game and remained close friends with a number of MCFC youth stars.
Tension has been building between a new breed of territorial, street-fighting gangs associated with areas that circle Manchester city centre. Many of these youngsters have been to the same schools, and were small children during the last spike in gun and gang crime in inner-city Manchester.
Community insiders believe skirmishes between different friendship groups have escalated against a backdrop of cuts to youth provision and community policing.
The last teenager to die in Moss Side – 18-year-old Abdul Hafidah – was killed in May last year after street-fighting between rival groups, one linked to Rusholme, the other linked to Moss Side, escalated to murderous violence. Hours before Sait was killed, 10 men and one boy – all linked to the same Moss Side faction which is believed to be in conflict with Ardwick – were convicted of Abdul’s killing.
Extra officers will be deployed to the Moss Side Caribbean Carnival this weekend amid fears that groups from different areas of the city could be planning to converge on the area.
Police confirmed yesterday afternoon that a 32-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder and remained in police custody for questioning.
A 17-year-old boy arrested the day before on suspicion of murder also remained in police custody.
Superintendent Dave Pester, from GMP’s City of Manchester Team, said: “We are exploring all avenues and part of our enquiry is to determine what the motive was. We need your help to do this. Were you in the area at the time of the attack and saw something that might be relevant? Do you know who was involved?
“I urge you to speak to police, as you might be able to help us to get justice for Sait’s family.”
Anyone with information can call police on 0161 856 6777 or 101, quoting incident number 1918 of Wednesday 9 August 2017 – or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.