A 24-year-old man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the fatal stabbing of a Porsche driver in central London, in an attack a prosecutor described as resembling the "Wild West".
'Wild West' Attack on Edgware Road
Awad Abdel Samad must serve a minimum of 27 years behind bars for killing Mohamed Abdi, 19, on the evening of 4 June last year. The Old Bailey heard that Samad believed his victim had been involved in the kidnapping and torture of his friend just two days earlier.
Judge Lynn Tayton told the court that Samad "acted with extreme aggression and persistence" during the attack on a congested section of Edgware Road. She stated she was satisfied it was a revenge attack and that Samad was acting as part of a group.
The Events Leading to the Fatal Confrontation
The court was told that on 2 June, Samad's friend, Soufian Chafi, was kidnapped and tortured. Footage of this earlier attack, which showed Mr Chafi "naked and being humiliated", was posted online.
Samad and his co-defendant, Mohamad Mahmoud El-Hazzaa, 27, from Westminster, both believed Mr Abdi was involved in this incident. Judge Tayton confirmed there was evidence supporting this belief, noting that a black Porsche Cayenne was also thought to be connected.
On the night of 4 June, the occupants of two cars who knew each other were travelling in the same direction in heavy traffic. Samad was in the front passenger seat of a Seat Leon driven by El-Hazzaa. Mr Abdi was driving his Porsche Cayenne and pulled up close behind their car, flashing his lights.
A Fatal Fight and Pursuit
Both vehicles stopped. Samad exited the Seat Leon armed with a knife. Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones KC told jurors the scene was "like something from the Wild West".
Mr Abdi saw Samad approaching and also got out of his car; he too was armed with a knife. A fight ensued, but within seconds, Samad gained a crucial advantage.
"He swung a kick and managed to kick Mohamed Abdi's knife out of his hand, on to the road," Mr Emlyn Jones said. "So that meant that now, only one of them had a knife - the defendant."
The court heard that the disarmed Mr Abdi retreated and got back into his Porsche. Samad pursued him, reaching the car before the victim could shut the door. Samad then stabbed Mr Abdi three times. One of the wounds, a stab to the chest, went through the cartilage of the ribs and into his heart.
As Samad fled the scene, Mr Abdi managed to drive forward into Bell Street, where members of the public and paramedics tried to save him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Aftermath and Sentencing
In a victim impact statement read to the court, Mr Abdi's mother, Sharon, and sister, Amirah, described him as a "cherished son and a loving brother" and "a young man who had much to live for". Judge Tayton remarked, "They fear his life has been stolen."
At the sentencing on Thursday 13 November 2025, Judge Tayton jailed Samad for life with a minimum term of 27 years. The co-defendant, Mohamad Mahmoud El-Hazzaa, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for attempting to pervert the course of justice.
