Tanveer Ahmed, of Toller, pleads guilty to murdering Glasgow shopkeeper Asad Shah

Tanveer Ahmed, 32, from the Toller area of the city, pleaded guilty to murdering Asad Shah, when he appeared at the High Court in Glasgow this morning.

Mr Shah, 40, who ran a convenience store in Glasgow, died following an attack by Ahmed on March 24 this year.

The court heard that taxi driver Ahmed, a Sunni Muslim, drove from Bradford to Glasgow on March 24 and engaged in a discussion with Mr Shah at his store before pulling out a knife and attacking the shopkeeper.

On the way to Glasgow, he had watched online footage of Mr Shah and commented "something needs to be done, it needs nipped in the bud."

Evidence gathered showed that Mr Shah had posted videos on Facebook and YouTube which could be seen as him claiming that he was a Prophet.

Advocate Deputy Iain McSporran said: "It so offended his feelings and faith that he had to kill him."

The victim was described by his family as a "brilliant" man.

Ahmed previously claimed to have committed the killing because Mr Shah had "claimed to be a Prophet."

He issued a statement through his solicitor, after an earlier court hearing, saying if he had not done it, others would, but said it had nothing to do with Christianity or any other religious beliefs.  

CCTV footage of the attack on Asad Shah showed the moment his brother and colleague tried in vain to save his life.

Personal trainer Athar Shah used the only weapon available - an advertising sign in the street outside the shop - in an attempt to rescue his brother.

He was helped by shop assistant Stephen McFadyen, who bravely grabbed the knife from Tanveer Ahmed as he carried out the murderous attack.

The chain of events leading up to the killing appeared to begin two days before on March 22, when Ahmed was staying with a mutual friend of Mr Shah in Glasgow.

He seemed to already have an interest in his victim, asking his host whether he knew "Shah from Glasgow".

It was at that point that Ahmed was shown for the first time Facebook posts made by Mr Shah suggesting that he was a prophet.

The killer returned to Bradford on March 23, leaving his friend with no reason to think that anything would come of the incident.

But the following day he was again driving north and during the journey used his mobile to watch a video of Mr Shah claiming to be a prophet.

"Listen to this guy, something needs to be done, it needs nipped in the bud," he said in a phone message at the time.

When Ahmed arrived at the Minard Road shop at about 9pm, Mr Shah was busy serving customers with Mr McFadyen while his brother was in the basement premises below.

In a conversation between the two men in Urdu, the killer is said to have attempted and failed to "persuade Mr Shah to his point of view".

He can then be seen on CCTV reaching into his robes, pulling out a knife and moving round the counter to attack his victim.

Despite Mr McFadyen's attempts to intervene, Mr Shah was repeatedly stabbed in the head and body, with the blows continuing as he fled into the street.

Arriving on the scene, Athar Shah dragged his injured brother away and tried to fend off the killer with the sign, while Mr McFadyen grabbed the knife and hid it in nearby bushes.

Their pleas for Ahmed to stop were ignored as he continued to punch, kick and stamp Mr Shah "with full force" before walking calmly to a nearby bus shelter where he sat with his head bowed "as if in prayer".

A passing GP and nurse stopped to help but Mr Shah was pronounced dead less than an hour after the killer first entered his shop.

In court, prosecutor Iain McSporran highlighted the "brave" and "valiant" efforts of Mr McFadyen and Athar Shah, who suffered a knife wound to the neck as he defended his brother.

He said: "In particular Athar Shah, who witnessed his brother being murdered and who bears a terrible sense of guilt at what he sees, quite wrongly, as his failure to help him, has suffered greatly both mentally and physically."

Tanveer Ahmed travelled from Bradford to confront Asad Shah over postings on social media relating to religion.

Assistant Chief Constable Steve Johnson, Police Scotland’s Safer Communities lead officer, said:

“Asad Shah was a peaceful family man; a hard-working businessman and well-loved member of the Glasgow community. His death in such terrible circumstances impacted on those closest to him as well as communities throughout the country.

“Scotland’s diverse communities have a proud tradition of unity, tolerance and understanding. Crimes of this nature are thankfully rare – however it makes them all the more shocking when they do occur.

“Mr Shah’s murder was the result of an extreme act of violence; an attack which was concluded within the space of four minutes. It is clear that the actions of Tanveer Ahmed were motivated by his religious beliefs.

“There is a consensus across all of our communities that there is no place in Scotland for religious or cultural intolerance which generates crimes of hatred, intimidation or violence. Religious or cultural beliefs, no matter how strongly held, do not entitle anyone to commit murder or acts of aggression.

“There are a number of ways in which members of the public can report hate crimes to the police and I would encourage them to do so.

“The response by Scotland’s communities to the murder was one of unity; I am confident that the same response will be displayed in light of today’s guilty plea.”

Police Scotland took the accused into custody in the immediate aftermath of the murder and a Major Investigation Team, working closely with colleagues in West Yorkshire Police, established the circumstances which led Ahmed to travel to Glasgow from Bradford to confront Mr Shah in his shop.

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector Jim Smith, of Police Scotland, Major Investigation Team West, said:

“Officers worked closely with West Yorkshire Police to understand the full background to Tanveer Ahmed and his reason for travelling to Glasgow on the night of Mr Shah’s murder.

“Our investigation focused on the immediate actions and admissions of the accused and piecing together a timeline of events based on CCTV footage, forensic recovery and examination of telecommunications data and social media activity.

“I would pay tribute to the witnesses who spoke to the events of that night; a number of them went to Mr Shah’s assistance but the swift and ferocious nature of the attack meant there was little they could do to save him. Ahmed’s compliance in the immediate aftermath of the attack was in stark contrast to the level of violence shown during the confrontation.”

Chief Superintendent Brian McInulty, Local Police Commander for Greater Glasgow Division, said:

“All of our thoughts are with Asad Shah’s family today as they have been since this incident. Mr Shah was well known in his local community and his loss is still acutely felt there.

“We have worked closely with the community in Glasgow and with faith communities to ensure that intolerance has no part in the life of our city. Offenders will be pursued with vigour and victims can come forward and report matters with confidence.

“Officers will continue to be available in the community to respond to any issues or concern which arise.”