A murder hunt was under way today after a man was stabbed to death in an apparently motiveless attack.

The 27-year-old victim, named as Mohammed Abdul Basier, suffered a single wound to the chest when he was attacked as he walked to a taxi rank at about 3am yesterday after a night out with friends at the West End Bar in Lumb Lane, Manningham, Bradford.

Bleeding heavily, he staggered from the scene of the attack at the junction with Bowland Street back towards the bar and collapsed.

An ambulance was called but a passing motorist took him to Bradford Royal Infirmary where he was dead on arrival.

Detective Superintendent John Parkinson, who is leading the inquiry, said it appeared to be a brutal and unprovoked attack on Mr Basier, a married salesman with a two-year-old daughter.

Witnesses have described the attacker as being a small man, about 5ft 3ins tall, aged about 30 with dark hair and of Eastern European or Middle Eastern appearance.

"He was attacked by a man who left him with a chest wound," said Det Supt Parkinson. "He literally fell to the floor after running back a bit towards the West End Bar, bleeding profusely.

"People in the bar rang an ambulance. But he was picked up by a passer-by in a private car and taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary. He was dead on arrival from the large wound in his chest.

"He had been enjoying a night out and it appears that this was a completely unprovoked attack. There is no indication of there being a particular fall out."

Police have set up an incident room and a forensic post-mortem examination carried out yesterday afternoon on Mr Basier, of Allerton, Bradford, found that he died of a single stab wound to the chest.

Scenes-of-crime and forensic experts sealed off the area yesterday to conduct thorough investigations and search for the murder weapon.

Det Supt Parkinson said officers were following various lines of inquiry and had now traced the motorist who took Mr Basier to hospital.

"We have combed the area where the incident happened and we are examining CCTV footage to try to find further leads," he said.

"This was a brutal attack on a local working man. Inquiries are on-going today to trace his attacker and I want anyone who saw what happened, has any information or thinks they might recognise the suspect from the description to contact us.

"I am appealing for anybody who might have been in either the Queen's public house or the West End Bar on Saturday evening, or the Lumb Lane area near the junction with Bowland Street, to contact us.

"Perhaps you were dining at a restaurant or waiting to catch a cab from a taxi rank between 10pm and 3am. If so, we need to speak to you.

"This is a lively area of the city and we expect a lot of people were in the area, we need to hear from them."

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on (01274) 376259 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.