Draft:Ilford shooting

The murders of Saydi Sheikh and Zakariya Mohamed occurred inside a house in Ilford, East London, on October 25, 2022 in Henley Road.

Four assailants, armed with guns and knives, stormed into a house in Henley Road and fired approximately 45 shots in a five-minute raid. Saydi Abu Sheikh, 23, and Zakariya Jeilani Mohamed, 31, were fatally shot and stabbed. A third man sustained serious gunshot wounds but survived. Two other occupants of the house managed to escape serious injury. The attackers fled the scene and set their getaway vehicle, a white Mitsubishi Outlander, on fire nearby.

Saydi Abu Sheikh was stabbed 28 times and shot four times whilst Zakariya Jeilani Mohamed, 31, was stabbed five times and shot at least seven times, and they both died at the scene. A third man was shot six times whilst a fourth sustained a flesh wound in the attack but they both survived. A fifth man escaped injury after his presence was undetected by the attackers.

The Metropolitan Police's Homicide and Major Crime Command launched a major investigation. Using forensic techniques, DNA analysis, and CCTV footage, they were able to identify and apprehend the suspects. Five men were eventually charged in connection with the murders.

After a trial, four of the men charged - Ayaani Ali Adan, Zain Mirza, Mahad Gouled, and Chibuike Ohanweh - were convicted of two counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder, and perverting the course of justice by destroying the Mitsubishi Outlander. They were sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 38 years. The fifth suspect, Zakarie Mohamad, was acquitted of two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder but previously admitted perverting the course of justice. He was sentenced to four years imprisonment.

Prosecutors alleged the killings were a revenge attack orchestrated by Zain Mirza. He allegedly sought retribution for the death of his brother, Mohammed Usman Mirza, in 2019, and one of the victims, known as drill rapper "Giddy" (Saydi Abu Sheikh) was reportedly affiliated with a rival gang and some the convicted men for the killing of Zain Mizra's brother.