Veiled woman: The niqab, which covers the whole face apart from the eyes
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A made-to-order outfit perfect for a wide variety of criminal activities.
Posted on 06/18/2008 9:19:33 AM PDT by Stoat
By Charlotte Gill
Last updated at 4:34 PM on 18th June 2008
Two youths were seen wearing niqab-style face masks and wielding a sword after a 14-year-old boy was stabbed, locals have claimed.
One was heard to say 'I'm going to kill him' as the pair walked calmly down a residential street chatting at about midday yesterday.
The schoolboy was knifed in the chest just yards away at 5pm on Tuesday.
He collapsed in a pool of blood in front of drinkers outside a pub as they enjoyed an after work pint.
Forensic officers investigate the scene of a stabbing attack which left a 14-year-old boy fighting for his life
A terrified local, who saw the sword-wielding teens but did not want to be named, said: 'I saw two boys wearing Muslim women's headgear but normal clothes otherwise and you could see only their eyes.
'One of them was carrying a sword with a huge blade over a foot long which looked like something you would use to gut a lamb.
'I saw them and my heart was gone. I've never been so terrified.
'Although I could only see their eyes I could see their hands as well and they were two black boys, tall, probably about six feet and I would guess they were 16 or 17 years old.'
They were less than 50 yards from the Tabard Garden Estate in Southwark, South East London, when the boy was attacked after a row among teenagers on an astro-turf football pitch in a park.
The pair were spotted by a number of locals going into a block of flats right by the scene of the stabbing.
Another local who did not wish to be named said: 'They were just walking up the street calmly chatting in the middle of the day while they wearing masks and openly carrying a blade.
'I heard one say to the other "I'm going to kill him." It was completely unbelievable, I've never seen anything like it, what is this country coming to?
'I've lived in this area for years and have always felt safe, but not anymore. The government has to do something about this, they need to take some tough action because things are getting worse.'
Eddie Suleyman, 32, chef at the Roebuck pub who saw the boy collapsed on the ground, said: 'It was horrific - everyone was shocked.
'At one stage there were two girls treating the poor boy. One was beside him crying and the other was trying to stem the blood from his wounds.
'At first we thought it was an epileptic fit because we didn't notice any blood to start with and he just kind of toppled over.
'A girl stopped to try and help him. Then more and more people were running around to help.
'When one girl turned around and was crying, because she realised what had happened, we realised as well.
'About 25 people were around the boy by the time the air ambulance showed up so it was hard to see exactly what was going on and I couldn't see just how much blood there was.
'But when he was lifted into the back of the ambulances you could see there was blood everywhere. It was awful.'
The victim, who is of Caribbean origin, was taken by helicopter to the Royal London Hospital in east London where his condition remains 'critical'.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: 'At this early stage, it is believed the victim was involved in an altercation with a number of youths prior to the incident. We retain an open mind as to any motive.'
Police have appealed for witnesses to come forward.
The boy is the latest in victim of knife crime in the capital. A total of 16 teenagers have been murdered in London in 2008 while 27 teens were killed in the capital 2007.
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A made-to-order outfit perfect for a wide variety of criminal activities.
More proof of how well the UK’s gun ban is working to decrease violent assaults...
Where are Britain’s soccer yobs when you need them?
Where are Britain’s soccer yobs when you need them?
Coming soon to a country near us. If something tough isn’t done in the meantime.
Well at least it wasn’t a gun.
Or a knife...
Those darned Episcopalians at it again.
They will - they will ban knives...
It could certainly happen anywhere, including here in the USA. The Niquab not only covers the entire face apart from the eyes which prevents identification, but the rest of the outfit provides concealment opportunities for anything up to and including a rocket launcher. It also provides a social "leave me alone" barrier, in that anyone, particularly a law officer, who dares to stop and question someone in such garb is instantly in danger of being labeled a 'racist' and having his / her career destroyed as a result.
They will - they will ban knives...
I suppose it's time to buy stock in companies which make niquabs, as they are destined to become the next hot item for criminals of all stripes.
"sigh"
In the Crusades, didn’t the crusaders have broadswords and shields? Maybe the UK should bring back a little bit of it for these boys to defend themselves.
They will - they will ban knives...
Where have you been? This is England. They already have.
We can always count on Daniel Pipes for an essential and relevant article; thanks for posting.
It already did in Philadelphia about a month or so ago: Three men donned Muslim women's clothing to rob a bank: Click here.
I think self-defense is illegal in England isn’t it?
Visually it would be quite appealing, but I would prefer for our British Friends to have the same gun ownership and carry rights that we do.
Better to ask forgiveness than permission...
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