Man suspected of woman’s stabbing was charged over threat to kill her
Youtuber Habibur Masum was on bail at time of attack on mother pushing a pram in Bradford
A MAN suspected of fatally stabbing a mother who was pushing her baby in a pram was previously charged with threatening to kill her.
Habibur Masum, 25, was on bail at the time of the attack on 27-year-old Kulsuma Akter in the Westgate area of Bradford on Saturday.
Mr Masum, a Bangladeshi man who is in Britain on a student visa, is the focus of a nationwide manhunt after the stabbing.
Mr Masum has a Youtube account and is a prolific vlogger.
At a press briefing yesterday, Asst Chief Constable Damien Miller said that a 23-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
Police were called to Westgate at the junction with Drewton Road at 3.21pm on Saturday following reports of a woman being stabbed by a man, who then fled.
According to witnesses, the woman was stabbed “four to five times” in the neck while shopping with a friend.
Yesterday, it emerged that Mr Masum had appeared at Tameside magistrates’ court in Greater Manchester in November accused of assaulting Ms Akter and making threats to kill her.
He had pleaded not guilty to the charges and was due to appear in court for a further hearing in August.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and West Yorkshire Police said that they had both referred themselves to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) watchdog over their previous contact with Ms Akter and Masum.
A spokesman for the IOPC said that it was “assessing the information to determine whether an investigation was required”.
Detectives warned that Mr Masum may still be armed and told members of the public not to approach him.
Yesterday police officers conducted “a number of raids” in Burnley, Oldham and Chester, where Masum is thought to have links.
Asst Chief Constable Miller also gave new details of the last sighting of Mr Masum.
He said: “At 3.30pm, Masum was captured on CCTV getting on a bus in Market Street. He then gets off the bus at 3.42pm on Killinghall Road and walks in the direction of Bradford Moor Park. This is our last confirmed sighting of him.”
Police believe that Mr Masum is still in the country and are appealing for any taxi drivers who may have picked him up from the Bradford Moor Park area.
“It is very likely that he would have paid in cash,” said Asst Chief Constable Miller.
Just days before the attack, the Youtuber uploaded a video showing a recent holiday to Barcelona.
He regularly posts videos of his dayto-day life on the website and describes himself as an “adventure lover”.
One post shows him looking through Bangladeshi-made clothes in Primark before trying on a range of winter jumpers. He then films a children’s offer and leaves with two full bags.
In another video from January, he films himself walking through a housing estate in the snow.
He warns his followers who are new to the UK not to “stay out in the cold too long” as they could get chest problems, while other videos show him cooking and going to concerts.
He also shared clips to his followers on Facebook showing them how to prepare a hospital bag for “your newborn baby”, and another showing him setting up a child’s cot. Mr Masum, who is from the city of Sylhet in eastern Bangladesh, studied for a masters degree in digital marketing at the University of Bedfordshire.
Friends of Mr Masum described him as a “normal student” who enjoyed playing football and cricket.
A man who works at a company that helped Masum get a Schengen visa to travel across Europe said he was “shocked” to hear of his alleged crime. The man, who did not wish to be named, confirmed Masum was in the country on a student visa.
He told The Telegraph: “I was shocked when I heard the news.
“He is a familiar face in Manchester. He came here on a student visa. I have had no communication with him for the last two months.”
Mr Masum, who is described as Asian and of a slim build, is from the Oldham area. CCTV footage appears to show him wearing a duffle coat with three large horizontal lines of grey, white and black, light blue or grey tracksuit bottoms with a small black emblem on the left pocket and maroon trainers.
‘I was shocked when I heard the news. He is a familiar face in Manchester’