Indian-origin woman murdered in student flat in London
London(PTI): Scotland Yard have arrested a Tunisian national on suspicion of the murder and assault of a British woman of Indian origin in her student accommodation in London.
Sabita Thanwani, a 19-year-old British national, was found with serious injuries to her neck at Arbour House student flats in Clerkenwell area of London on Saturday.
The Metropolitan Police issued an urgent appeal for a 22-year-old man, Maher Maaroufe, who they said had been in a relationship with Thanwani. The wanted suspect was eventually arrested by officers on Sunday around the same area of Clerkenwell where the victim's body was discovered a day before.
I would like to thank everyone for publicising and sharing our appeal to trace Maaroufe, said Detective Chief Inspector Linda Bradley, from the Met Police Specialist Crime unit who is leading the investigation.
Sabita's family have been updated with this development and continue to be supported by specially trained officers. Our deepest condolences are with them. I would ask everyone to respect their privacy at this indescribably devastating time for them as they come to terms with Sabita's murder, she said.
Earlier, the Met Police had said that although formal identification remains pending, Thanwani's family was informed ahead of a special post-mortem examination to be arranged in due course.
Maaroufe had been in a relationship with Sabita but he was not a student. He is a Tunisian national of no fixed address, said Detective Bradley, as part of a public appeal in the case.
In a direct appeal to the suspect, she added: I am also appealing, once again, for Maher Maaroufe to attend a police station immediately. Maher I am making this appeal directly to you: if you see this, please go to the nearest police station. It is important that we speak with you.
Thanwani was studying at City, University of London, and was reportedly with Maaroufe on Friday.
As this remains an ongoing police incident, we are unable to comment on their investigation, said a spokesperson for Unite Students, which operates the Arbour House student accommodation.
Our priority at this time is the safety and wellbeing of students at Arbour House. We are working closely with the police and City, University of London, the spokesperson said.
A spokesperson for City, University of London also said it was working closely with Unite Students.
As a university, we will do everything we can to support our students and staff and we will continue to fully support the police with their investigation, a university spokesperson said.
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Hamas accepts cease-fire proposal for Gaza, but Israel's stance still uncertain
Jerusalem, May 6: Hamas announced Monday it has accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal, but there was no immediate word from Israel, leaving it uncertain whether a deal had been sealed to bring a halt to the seven-month-long war in Gaza.
It was the first glimmer of hope that a deal might avert further bloodshed. Hours earlier, Israel ordered some 100,000 Palestinians to begin evacuating the southern Gaza town of Rafah, signalling that an attack was imminent. The United States and other key allies of Israel oppose an offensive on Rafah, where around 1.4 million Palestinians, more than half of Gaza's population, are sheltering.
An official familiar with Israeli thinking said Israeli officials were examining the proposal, but the plan approved by Hamas was not the framework Israel proposed.
An American official also said the US was still waiting to learn more about the Hamas position and whether it reflected an agreement to what had already been signed off on by Israel and international negotiators or something else. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity as a stance was still being formulated.
Details of the proposal have not been released. Touring the region last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had pressed Hamas to take the deal, and Egyptian officials said it called for a cease-fire of multiple stages starting with a limited hostage release and some Israeli troop pullbacks from Gaza. The two sides would also negotiate a “permanent calm” that would lead to a full hostage release and greater Israeli withdrawal, they said.
