Birmingham Stabbing Suspect Was Born in Birmingham
The Claim
The suspect in the September 6, 2020 Birmingham stabbings was a Libyan refugee.
News posted on
Emerging story
The claim spread soon after the attack in early September 2020. Many Facebook users used anti-immigrant and Islamophobic rhetoric in their posts.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation found that the claim is incorrect. The Birmingham stabbings that left seven injured and one dead were allegedly enacted by Zephaniah McLeod, who has since been arrested.
McLeod has been described by West Midlands Police as being “Birmingham-born.”
The Facebook posts refer to Khairi Saadallah, the suspect in a June 20, 2020 Reading terror attack. Saadallah, a Libyan-born refugee, allegedly stabbed multiple people, killing three.
Since Saadallah did not commit the Birmingham stabbings, and since McLeod is Birmingham-born, the claim is false.
