Tonight:
5°c
Last moments of knife victim captured on CCTV
Rob Singh and Benedict Moore-Bridger8 Jul 2008
The last moments of a man stabbed to death in a possible racist attack are revealed today in CCTV images released by police.
Hamouda Bessaad, 34, a Tunisian, was on his way to meet a friend when he was attacked in the Old Kent Road by a group of four or five black men.
His family appealed for help in catching his killer as a post-mortem examination revealed he died of one stab wound to the upper body.
It is believed he was attacked after an incident earlier in the day at the nearby LAN Exchange and Internet CafÈ where a young black man was thrown off the premises.
Detectives think that despite having nothing to do with the incident, the youths attacked Mr Bessaad either because of his nationality or because they mistook him for someone else.
His brother, Abdul Bessaad, asked witnesses of last Monday's attack to come forward. Speaking through a translator he said: "Please, anyone who knows this incident has happened that night please, please come to the police.
"Please help because an innocent person has been killed. He is a good person who harmed nobody. Please, please help."
His brother had worked in Britain for five years, sending money back to his home country to support his family. Acting Detective Chief Inspector Anthony McKeown, said the murder was completely unprovoked.
He said Mr Bessaad was the type of person to avoid violence at all costs.
"Hamouda was a hard-working man and his senseless murder has devastated his wife in this country and his family in Tunisia," he said.
"Mr Bessaad had no connection whatsoever to the earlier incident, as he was at work elsewhere at the time. As the CCTV shows he was simply walking along the street on his way to meet to a friend."
Anyone with any information should phone police on 020 8785 8244 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
