Man to be charged over fire deaths 16 years ago
A MAN is due to appear in court today to be charged with the murders of five children and three adults following a house fire 16 years ago.
Shahid Mohammed, 36, formerly of Huddersfield, has been extradited from Pakistan, where he has been held in prison for three years.
He will be formally charged at Leeds Magistrates’ Court with the murders of eight members of the same family in Birkby, Huddersfield, in May 2002.
The fire killed Nafeesa Aziz, 35, and her daughters Tayyaba Bootall, three, Rabiah Bootall, 10, Ateeqa Nawaz, five, Aneesa Nawaz, two, and Najeebah Nawaz, six months.
Miss Aziz’s brother, Mohammed Ateeq-ur-Rehman, 18, also died in the fire, and their mother, Zaib-un-Nisa, 54, died a week later in hospital.
Mohammed has been held in jail since being arrested in Rawalpindi in 2015 following a joint operation between West Yorkshire Police, the NCA and Pakistani authorities.
Det Supt Nick Wallen, of West Yorkshire Police, said: “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all agencies here in the UK and in Pakistan who have worked tirelessly and supported West Yorkshire Police to ensure that this process has run smoothly to extradite him.
“At the centre of this investigation is the Chisthi family, who lost eight members of their family during the fatal house fire and have shown such dignity since the tragedy occurred in 2002.”
In July 2003, three Huddersfield men – Shaied Iqbal, Shakiel Shazad Amir and Nazar Hussain – were convicted for their parts in the crime.