Fears London’s brutal gang war of 2017 could be repeated this summer as knife victim’s brother slain in stabbing spate

THERE are fears London’s brutal gang war of 2017 could be repeated this summer after a knife victim’s brother was slain in a spate of stabbings. Junior Jah, 18, was found dying on the pavement near his home in Canning Town, East London on Monday afternoon. His brother Ahmed Jah, 21, was stabbed to death […]

THERE are fears London’s brutal gang war of 2017 could be repeated this summer after a knife victim’s brother was slain in a spate of stabbings.

Junior Jah, 18, was found dying on the pavement near his home in Canning Town, East London on Monday afternoon.

His brother Ahmed Jah, 21, was stabbed to death just 150 yards away in April 2017.

He was set upon as he bought a soft drink less than 50 yards from his home.

The killing of Junior – who was also known as Y.Grinna – has raised fears of a summer of knife crime in the capital as lockdown restrictions are eased.

Mr Jah was the 12th teenager stabbed to death in London in 2021 – just five less than there were in the whole of 2020.

There are concerns there will be a summer of violence in the capital between rival gangs from the north and south of the city.

There is no suggestion Junior Jah was involved with criminal gangs.

He was attacked just minutes away from where Fares Maatou, 14, was stabbed in the head outside a pizza restaurant while defending his friend last week.

Witnesses said Fares, who was wearing his school uniform, was killed for his electric scooter by a thug with a samurai sword.

REVENGE ATTACKS

The elder Jah’s murder sparked a series of bloody revenge attacks across the capital in 2017.

Teenage deaths that year in London were more than double those during 2016.

The number of teenagers murdered in the city was the highest for almost a decade – with 20 stabbed, five shot and another victim dying of multiple injuries.

At the time, Sir Craig Mackey, the Deputy Commissioner of the Met Police, said it was “truly unusual and extraordinary” for so many murders to have happened in such a short period of time.

“The reasons behind it are quite complex. There are a number of issues affecting knife crime,” he said.

“We are absolutely clear we are doing our part to do the things we can do as the police service… but we need others across London working with us to help tackle those underlying issues around a knife culture that has emerged across London.”

Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said in 2017 that stabbings in London had risen by 15 per cent that year.

She said the attacks were driven by a “core group of young offenders” who repeatedly assaulted and robbed “with relative impunity”.

There were 118 homicides in London in 2017, with 80 of them caused by stabbings.

Around the time of the stabbing spree, some of London’s most notorious gangs included Moscow17 in Kennington, as well as the Ghetto Boys in Deptford and the Woolwich Boys out on the Thames.

North of the river, Islington was said to be dominated by as many as 15 separate groups – like the Bemerton Mandem near King’s Cross and the Busy Blocks.

East London was awash with as many around 60 gangs, according to maps compiled and shared online, while in the typically more affluent west of the capital 35 gangs roamed the streets.

Croydon’s ‘CRO’ were mapped across much of the borough in the south.

Speaking at the time of Ahmed’s killing four years ago, his dad Abubakarr said: “Young people need to put down their knives and stop the violence.

“It is destroying families and communities.”

The violence culminated in the murder of 14-year-old CJ Davis, who was brutally shot in the head near a playground in Newham.

The schoolboy was sat with friends when the attacker approached from behind wielding a gun and opened fire.

Neville McLeod, who lived with CJ, said at the time: “He might have got into trouble once. But not anything major, that someone could want to kill him or killed him.

“He never gave me any trouble. I’ve nothing bad to say about CJ. Not one word.”

‘PERFECT STORM’

A police union leader warned that London has a “major problem” with gangs – and said the violence will only increase as lockdown is lifted over the coming weeks.

Ken Marsh, chairman of the rank and file Met Police Federation branch, described the murder rate as “deeply disturbing.”

He told The Sun: “It is going to get even worse. Our concern is that as the country comes out of lockdown then we are going to enter into a silly season.

“There is a major problem with gangs and youth violence in London and sadly I think it is going to get very naughty.

“There is a genuine concern among the police that we are moving into a position this summer where the levels of violence become unprecedented.

“A perfect storm is being created and it is going to be a struggle for the police to cope.”

Cops in London hailed Covid lockdowns for helping to curb gang activity.

After the restrictions were rolled back last year, violent crime rose to higher levels than before the pandemic.

The Met Police blamed the temporary rise on more people on the streets and gang tensions spilling off social media.

Met Commander Dave McLaren said: “It isn’t a massive leap of faith to say that lockdown has an impact on all of us in terms of our wellbeing.”

Earlier this week in West Norwood, Lambeth, four teen boys were arrested after two young women – including a 16-year-old girl – were seriously hurt in a stabbing outside a takeaway.

The girls were knifed as horror erupted in broad daylight.

Two weeks ago, a 17-year-old boy died from stab wounds after being found injured on a south London street.

Cops launched a murder probe after the boy was found on the road in Sydenham, South East London.

So far this year there has been 32 murder investigations launched in London. Of those, 25 have been stabbings.

Sixteen teenagers have been charged in connection with six different murders in 2021. All the victims were allegedly stabbed to death.

The Met Police refused to comment on fears of increased knife crime in London this summer when contacted by The Sun.