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Faisal Osman |
HOW DID HE DIE?
Brother of murder victim found dead in river
A HOTEL worker who campaigned for justice over his brother’s street murder has been found dead in mysterious circumstances.
Detectives are investigating the death of Faisal Osman, whose body was discovered in a river just days before Christmas.
It is less than twelve months since his brother Mahir, 18, was stabbed to death in Camden High Street, Camden Town.
Relatives at the family home in Gilbey’s Yard, Camden Town, said last night (Wednesday) that it was “too early” to talk about the second tragedy to strike the family.
Faisal Osman – a cousin of international footballer Fabio Liverani, who plays for Italian team Fiorentina – was reported missing earlier this month after failing to come home from a party in Hackney, east London. The 24 year-old’s body was found in the River Lea close to Walton Road in Newham last Wednesday afternoon when a passer-by noticed what they thought was an unusual object floating in the canal.
Scotland Yard said yesterday (Wednesday) that his death was “unexplained”. Officers have not revealed how long Mr Osman’s body had been in the water. They are conducting forensic tests and waiting for results of a post mortem before an inquest is opened.
A police spokeswoman said: “Newham CID are investigating.”
But Mr Osman’s friends are concerned that key witnesses have not yet been interviewed – including a man that he went to the party with on the night he was last seen alive.
One close friend said: “The police have not done enough. Everybody is looking for the guy he went with, a white guy, but he has now disappeared. He has left the country or something. He knows what happened. He came back to Camden and told Faisal’s friends but then disappeared.”
Mr Osman’s father, Abdirahman Osman, fled war-torn Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1992. Faisal was 11 at the time, while Mahir was five.
Faisal Osman, who worked at a hotel in Camden Town, had been critical of the police response to his brother’s murder in January and urged for more action. The case hit the headlines because police needed to commandeer a double-decker bus to round up more than 20 possible suspects. Later, the Osman family confronted then Home Secretary Charles Clarke during a walkabout of the area with an appeal for help. Six suspects are currently waiting for the case to be heard at the Old Bailey.
Faisal Osman said that he himself had been unfairly interrogated by police about rivalry between Somali youths in Camden and Tottenham when he should have been given counselling.
He said at the time: “I found it very difficult to come to terms with Mahir’s death and agreed to counselling, thinking it would help. I know that they actually wanted to get us away from our family so they could grill us on Mahir’s so-called gang connections but I can honestly say, hand on heart, that Mahir was not involved in any gang activity.”
Friends yesterday (Wednesday) revealed concerns about the circumstances of his death. They want police to track down guests at the party Mr Osman had attended and have questioned why a full-scale appeal for help has not been circulated.
One said: “He went from Camden Town to Hackney out with a friend. He got into an argument with some gypsies at a party, who then chased him and his friends with weapons. It was over a girl, I think. I don’t know why he was at the party. We never go to Hackney. The friend got away. Faisal didn’t. He was known from the night of the party as missing. His mother has had to deal with two deaths in a year – she is asking his friends what happened.”
He added: “I used to see him around Camden Town with his group of girls and boys, chilling out at Camden Lock almost every night. He was a mature guy who kept himself to himself. He was also cool and calm, and never started trouble with anyone. He just wanted to have a good time.”
Relatives at the Gilbey’s Yard flat where Mr Osman’s mother and younger brother live are also waiting for more information.
One close family member said last night (Wednesday): “It is too early at the moment. Nobody knows what happened. We don’t know. We reported him missing ten days earlier because he didn’t come home. We haven’t been allowed to see his body yet – and there has been nothing on the news or TV about it.”
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