A suspect in the murder of a teenager was able to flee the country after police failed to alert border control and immigration officials of his identity.
Ilyas Habibi was attacked just minutes after leaving Sutton station on December 5, suffering a fatal knife wound to the neck as he walked home from university.
However, the prime suspect in the murder was able to leave the UK via Gatwick Airport four days later after Mr Habibi’s family were told there had been a “computer error” which allowed him to escape.
The man is believed to have fled to a Middle Eastern country and has not been identified at the request of the Metropolitan Police.
In an even more sinister twist, the family claims the alleged killer recently made contact with Ilyas’ older brother, joking about how he left the 17-year-old to “choke” on his own blood.
Talk to The IndependentHis brother Mr Habibi said: “I am just trying to think who killed my brother. The police are not even contacting him, someone has been murdered and they don’t care.
“We want to know what measures they are taking but they are not telling us, I am sincerely shocked. How could he escape after four days? He murdered my brother outside a train station and next to a police station.
“They told us there was a computer error and that’s why the border and immigration services weren’t informed. They knew who he was two days before he left the country. They went to his house but he had already left.”
The Metropolitan Police have refused to respond to allegations that the suspect may have fled the country due to a computer error.
A 19-year-old man was arrested in December on suspicion of assisting an offender but was released on bail, with Mr Habibi saying his family had not been given any updates on the investigation into the individual.
Emergency services were called to Sutton High Street shortly after 7pm last December after Ilyas was found seriously injured.
An investigation revealed he had been “involved in an altercation” with the suspect who quickly fled, with Ilyas being pronounced dead a short time later.
Speaking of the horrific moment he learned of his younger brother’s death, Mr Habibi said: “I was at work and my father called me at 9.30pm to tell me Ilyas was not home. He was never late, the only day he was late was the day he died.”
He urged his parents to wait another hour before contacting the police, reassuring them that Ilyas was probably with friends. However, just 10 minutes later, Mr Habibi received a notification from his doorbell camera, which showed two police officers outside his family home.
“The police were ridiculous,” he said. “They asked if my parents were related to Ilyas and simply said, ‘Ilyas was stabbed and died.’ No filter, no sensitivity.”
Due to the lingering trauma of losing Ilyas and the lack of progress in the investigation, Mr Habibi said he now suffers from mental health issues while his mother suffers from PTSD.
His confusion and devastation only worsened after he was contacted on Snapchat by the alleged killer.
In disturbing text messages seen by The Independent, The individual mocked his blood loss and sent laughing emojis about Ilyas’ knife wounds.
“I told the police about it, but they didn’t tell me what was happening,” Mr Habibi said. “I couldn’t answer, I was just shocked. How can someone kill someone and talk about it so freely and laugh about it?”
Despite being told by the Metropolitan Police that the killer appeared to be waiting for Ilyas in Sutton, they still have “no idea” why the teenage Arsenal fan was targeted.
“He was a great person, a lovely person, always focused on football and he was studying construction at university,” he said.
“One day he just disappeared. He woke up to go to college and never came home, it’s shocking. I still can’t accept that Ilyas is dead and I never will.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “Our thoughts are with Ilyas’ family at what we know is an extremely difficult time.
“The investigation into his murder remains open and we continue to work with our international partners to locate and arrest the suspect, who we know travelled abroad on 9 December.
“A dedicated family liaison officer is in regular contact with the family to offer support and provide updates on the investigation.”
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