Gozo Stabbing Victim Wanted To ‘Slash’ Throat Of Alleged Attacker, Housemate Tells Police
New details on the murder of Fawaz Najem, the 25-year-old Syrian man who was stabbed to death in a Marsalforn apartment, have emerged as the court case continues.
In court, a police inspector revealed that a housemate of Maher Aljasem, the man who is accused of stabbing Najem, said that Najem had visited their apartment intending to fight Aljasem over a “long-standing” dispute, Times of Malta reported.
And Najem reportedly wasn’t alone, CID inspector Shaun Pawney continued, saying Najem arrived with a group of men armed with metal pipes, wooden beams and a wooden chair, according to a housemate who was there when it all happened.
Aljasem’s housemate – a man named Ahmed El Hamdi – told police what he saw that evening at around 9pm.
He recounted that he opened the door to his apartment in Triq il-Wied, Marsalforn, to find Fawaz and the other men. He said that Fawaz wanted to know where Aljasem was because “he wanted to slash his throat”.
Soon after, the men began attacking him. At this time, Aljasem was upstairs showering, when he heard sounds suddenly coming from downstairs, and went to see what happened, only to find El Hamdi being beaten up.
When the group saw Aljasem, they left El Hamdi and began attacking him, he said. He told police he was dragged out of his home and pulled into a nearby construction site where they continued to beat him.
He said this attack comes after the group had been threatening him for some time.
Left, Maher Aljasem, right, Fawaz Najem
During the fight, Aljasem said he was able to take a knife from one of his attackers and hit him with it, Aljasem told police inspector Shaun Tabone, who was first to the scene.
Najem was eventually taken to hospital by three over men, and later pronounced dead.
Pawney confirmed that the fight had begun in the home and ended in a nearby construction site. He also noted that according to El Hamdi, between six to eight men had appeared outside their Marsalforn apartment.
Aljasem was found to have suffered extensive injuries, mostly to his back and head, with investigators saying that this showed he was mainly in a defensive position during the fight. The blood both inside the apartment and outside belonged to El Hemdi, who had suffered a “deep head wound”.
Aljasem, 24, is being charged with the murder of Najem, as well as possessing a weapon during a crime and breaching the peace. He’s also been charged with slightly injuring Syrian national Kazem Abdalaa with a knife. He has pleaded not guilty to murdering Najem.
Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech presided over the case, which is set to continue next week.
Lawyers Peter Fenech, Elena Fenech and Amy Zahra appeared as defence counsel.
Lawyers Franco Debono, Deborah Camilleri and Matthew Xuereb appeared parte civile for the victims.
The case has caused a rift within the Syrian community in Malta, with some calling for life imprisonment for the aggressor as the case is underway. Initial reports had indicated that Najem had been killed as he was attempting to break up the fight.
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