This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jun/22/police-muslim-woman-killer-colchester-lake-nahid-almanea

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Police hunting Muslim woman's killer in Colchester drain fishing lake Police hunting Muslim woman's killer in Colchester drain fishing lake
(35 minutes later)
Police hunting the killer of a Muslim woman have drained and searched a fishing lake and plan similar searches of two more lakes close to where she was attacked in Colchester on Tuesday.Police hunting the killer of a Muslim woman have drained and searched a fishing lake and plan similar searches of two more lakes close to where she was attacked in Colchester on Tuesday.
Detectives say they have yet to recover any knife or other bladed weapon with a proven link to the murder of Nahid Almanea and have also appealed for local residents to check their gardens, hedges, rubbish bins and communal areas around flats for any trace of discarded weapons or bloodstained clothing or footwear. Detectives say they have yet to recover any knife or other bladed weapon with a proven link to the murder of Nahid Almanea, 31, and have also appealed for local residents to check their gardens, hedges, rubbish bins and communal areas around flats for any trace of discarded weapons or bloodstained clothing or footwear.
Det chief supt Steve Worron said police were carrying out a fingertip search in the hunt for the killer of the 31-year-old Saudi Arabian student. They urgently needed to speak to a man, reportedly wearing a distinctive beige-coloured suede or leather jacket, seen walking along the Salary Brook Trail between 10.20 and 10.40am, shortly before Almanea was found there with 16 stab wounds. DCS Steve Worron said police were carrying out a fingertip search in the hunt for the killer of the Saudi Arabian student.
Police said they were open-minded about links between her death and that of James Attfield, who was stabbed 102 times in a frenzied attack in the town two months ago, Worron told a press conference on Sunday. The drained pond was subject to an intensive fingertip search, looking for any evidence, any material that may be within that lake that linked them or provided them with evidence to those responsible for the murder of Nahid, he added. "There are also further lakes and over the coming days they will be subject to the same level of extensive search as well." They urgently needed to speak to a man, reportedly wearing a distinctive beige-coloured suede or leather jacket, seen walking along the Salary Brook Trail between 10.20am and 10.40am, shortly before Almanea was found there with 16 stab wounds.
More than 100 police officers from Essex, Kent, the Metropolitan Police and other forces, along with profilers from the National Crime Agency, are now involved in the investigation. Police were open-minded about links between her death and that of James Attfield, who was stabbed 102 times in a frenzied attack in the town two months ago, Worron said on Sunday.
Almanea was wearing an abaya, a full-length robe, and a hijab when she was attacked at around 10.40am. Detectives had earlier said they were looking into the possibility that she was targeted because of her Muslim dress. The drained lake was subject to an intensive fingertip search, looking for any evidence that was linked to the murder of Nahid. "There are also further lakes and over the coming days they will be subject to the same level of extensive search," Worron said.
Worron said that while the investigations had not been linked, it was a clear line of inquiry that both James and Naheed could be described as being from minority groups. While there were clear similarities, there were also significant differences, such as the gender of the individuals and the time of day the attacks happened. More than 100 police officers from Essex, Kent, the Met and other forces, along with profilers from the National Crime Agency, are involved in the investigation.
The man seen in the beige jacket is described as being aged from his late teens to 30, tanned and of average build with thick, black hair in a two-to-three-inch "mop style on top". He was walking towards the Greenstead estate. He was said by witnesses to be wearing baggy trousers, which might have been of lightweight cotton, and a jacket described as "an Italian designer item", slightly longer than waist-length, with brown buttons up the front and two pockets with buttons. It also had a belt. Nahid was wearing an abaya, a full-length robe, and a hijab when she was attacked. Detectives have said they were looking into the possibility that she was targeted because of her Muslim dress.
Police have already appealed for information about two men. The first was described as white, aged between 18 and 25 of medium build and with dark hair. He was wearing a long-sleeved, plain red hooded top and dark trousers. Police said he was seen running up Hewes Close at 10.56am on the day Almanea was murdered. The man seen in the beige jacket is described as being aged from his late teens to 30, tanned, and of average build with thick, black hair in a 2in-3in "mop style on top". He was walking towards the Greenstead estate. He was said by witnesses to be wearing baggy trousers, which might have been of lightweight cotton, and a jacket described as "an Italian designer item", slightly longer than waist-length, with brown buttons up the front and two pockets with buttons. It also had a belt.
Police are also appealing for help to track down a man who tried to attack a jogger less than a mile from where Almanea was killed. The white man, thought to be in his early 20s, around 5ft 7in and of medium build with a narrow face and possibly fair hair, tried to attack the woman in Peache Road, Colchester. Another man was arrested in with the incident but released on Friday. Police have already appealed for information about two men. The first was described as white, aged between 18 and 25, of medium build, with dark hair. He was wearing a long-sleeved, plain red hooded top and dark trousers.
Police said he was seen running up Hewes Close at 10.56am on the day Nahid was murdered.
Police are also looking for a man who tried to attack a female jogger less than a mile from where Nahid was killed. He was described as white, in his early 20s, around 5ft 7in tall, and of medium build with a narrow face and possibly fair hair. A man was arrested in connection with the incident but released on Friday.