MEN ARE CHARGED OVER DEATH BLAST
THREE men have been charged in connection with a blast which killed five people in Leicester. Arkan Ali, 37, Hawkar Hassan, 32, and Aram Kurd, 33, have been charged with manslaughter and arson with intent to endanger life over the explosion last Sunday evening.
Four of the people killed in the blast have been named as Shane, 18, and Sean Rajoobeer, 17, Leah Beth Reek, 18, who was Shane’s girlfriend, and Viktorija Ljevleva, 22, with the fifth victim believed to be Shane and Sean’s 46-yearold mother Mary.
Ali, of Drake Close, Oldham; Hassan, of Eld Road, Coventry; and Kurd, of Hillary Place, Leicester, are due to appear at Leicester Magistrates’ Court tomorrow.
Two other men, from East Anglia, have been arrested over the blast and continue to be questioned by police.
The force said they were detained on suspicion of conspiracy to cause an explosion and for offences under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
The incident on Hinckley Road demolished a supermarket and the twostorey flat above.
Leicestershire Police refused to comment on media reports which said the Hinckley Road explosion may have been caused by an illegal alcohol distillery.
Specialist officers continued to sift through the wreckage in search of clues, with the scene expected to remain cordoned off for several days at least.