18-year-old Zeshan Afzal, a British-Pakistani teenager from Smethwick, was fatally stabbed outside Jamia Masjid on Oldbury Road during Friday evening prayers on 20 February 2026. Two other young men were injured. West Midlands Police have launched a murder investigation and confirmed the incident is not being treated as racially or religiously motivated.
British-Pakistani Teen Fatally Stabbed Outside Smethwick Mosque:
A peaceful Friday evening of Taraweeh prayers in Smethwick turned into tragedy when an 18-year-old British-Pakistani teenager was stabbed to death outside a mosque in the West Midlands town. Zeshan Afzal, from Smethwick, died a short time after the attack just before 9pm on 20 February 2026. Two other young men, aged 19 and 20, were also injured in the violence and taken to hospital with non-life-threatening wounds.
West Midlands Police have launched a full murder investigation and are urgently appealing for dashcam, CCTV and eyewitness footage. Officers have stressed there is no evidence the incident was racially or religiously motivated, describing it instead as a disturbance that escalated.
The stabbing has sent shockwaves through the local Pakistani-British community, which was marking the holy month of Ramadan with large gatherings at the mosque.
Police Investigate Fatal Stabbing Outside Smethwick Mosque:
Police received reports of trouble outside the mosque on Oldbury Road at just before 9pm. Officers arrived to find Zeshan Afzal suffering serious stab wounds. Despite emergency medical efforts at the scene, he was confirmed dead a short time later. The two other injured men were treated at hospital and have since been released or are in stable condition.
Detectives named the victim on Saturday 21 February and confirmed a murder investigation is underway. In updated appeals on 23 February, officers said they are reviewing existing CCTV and actively seeking mobile phone and dashcam footage from the surrounding area to “establish why this happened and who was involved”.
Flowers have been left at the railings outside the mosque, where worshippers described the atmosphere inside during prayers as normal until the disturbance erupted in the car park.
Community Mourns Smethwick Teen Amid Ongoing Knife Crime Concerns:
Smethwick, part of the Sandwell borough on the edge of Birmingham, has a large and established British-Pakistani community. Jamia Masjid on Oldbury Road is a focal point for local Muslims, especially during Ramadan when attendance for Taraweeh prayers swells.
Knife crime has been a persistent concern across the West Midlands, with Birmingham and surrounding areas frequently recording high numbers of youth stabbings. Friday’s incident is the latest in a string of violent attacks involving young men in the region, prompting renewed calls from community leaders for greater investment in youth programmes and stricter enforcement of knife possession laws.
The timing during Ramadan has added to the distress, with many describing the attack as a desecration of a sacred space and time. However, police have been clear from the outset that there is no indication of religious or racial motivation, helping to ease immediate fears of targeted community violence.
Zeshan Afzal’s family and friends have paid tribute to a “pure-hearted” young man whose “kindness, generosity, and laughter touched everyone who knew him”. A GoFundMe page has been set up to support the family.