Mother of Russell Square Stabber "Always Wore a Full Black Burka"

Zakaria Bulhan, four years ago (Daily Mail)

Information is starting to come out about the Russell Square stabber - the 19-year-old man whom police coyly dubbed, "a Norwegian of Somali origin."

Predictably, the Norwegian link turned out to be tangential. Zakaria Bulhan was born in Somalia and lived only a short time in Norway (presumably his family had been granted some form of asylum or residency there) before his family moved to Great Britain.  

From the Daily Mail:

The Somali-born man accused of stabbing an American citizen to death and injuring five others in the Russell Square attack was a 'quiet, shy pupil who was bullied at his London secondary school', MailOnline can reveal. 

Zakaria Bulhan, 19, moved to the UK from Norway in 2002, and was said to be suffering possible 'mental health issues' when he allegedly began silently stabbing his unsuspecting victims in a busy London street last night. 

His former friends from Graveney School in Tooting, south London, have now revealed how Chelsea football fan Bulhan was a quiet boy who was bullied in the early stages of secondary school. 

One friend said: ‘He was quite quiet, but had friends. He was a little bullied but nothing too extreme.’ 

... 

Tonight, Bulhan's former friends claimed he had allegedly threatened to stab his friends two years ago after he started 'acting strangely'. 

She said: 'They had been friends for five years roughly, but when everyone left Graveney they distanced themselves because he was acting odd – [making] weird threats. 

'He said to another mutual friend he wanted to stab his friends. But this apparently wasn't true according to Zak. Apparently it was a joke.' 

The classmate said he was not religious, adding: 'He was quite quiet, but had friends. He was a little bullied but nothing too extreme.' 

She said old schoolfriends of Bulhan had seen the news and were shocked to see his name linked to the incident. 

Earlier today, police raided the south London council flat where he lived with his family. Neighbours of alleged knifeman said his mother was 'really nice' but knew little about her two sons. 

The family live on the middle floor of a three-storey block of flats next to St George's Hospital in Tooting. 

As two uniformed police officers stood guard outside the flat today, the neighbour described how police have been coming in and out all day. 

The unnamed woman said: 'There was lots of policemen there this morning.The mother is always here. She's really kind and friendly and always opened the door and got parcels for us. 

'They're a Muslim family, the mother always wore a full black burka. 

'I asked the police what is happening but they can't say at the moment. I heard lots of banging and noises and saw the police carrying out a black bag'. 

The neighbour who lives above Bulhan's flat heard a raid and saw 'around 30 officers on the stairs.' 

A downstairs neighbour confirmed that a mother and two young men live in the flat. He said: 'I've only really spoken to them to say 'hi'. The mother is very pleasant. She always asks after me and my mother. 

'I've never had a conversation with either of the two boys. Apparently they are Somalian but they all speak with an English accent. The mother is really quiet. She always has her hijab on but she's a very pleasant woman and speaks proper English'.

Read the rest here.