New appeal over fatal family fire in Birkby

Police have begun a new appeal to find a man on the eighth anniversary of a fire which killed eight members of a Huddersfield family.

Shahid Mohammed was arrested and released on bail during the murder inquiry after the fire in Osborne Road, Birkby, Huddersfield, on 12 May 2002.

Police have said he may be living in Pakistan but also has links with London, Birmingham and Leicester.

Three men were jailed in 2003 over the fire after a Leeds Crown Court trial.

The fire killed five sisters, their mother, uncle and grandmother.

The victims were Nafeesa Aziz, 35, and her five daughters - Tayyaba Batool, 13; Rabiah Batool, 10; Ateeqa Nawaz, six; Aneesa Nawaz, two; and Najeeba Nawaz, six months.

Nafeesa Aziz's brother, Mohammed Ateeq-ur-Rehman, 18, also died in the flames and their mother, Zaib-un-Nisa, 54, died a week later in hospital after jumping from an upstairs window.

Det Supt Sukhbir Singh, who has released a video appeal on YouTube, appealed for help in finding Mr Mohammed.

He said: "I call particularly on the family, friends and associates of Shahid Mohammed and the wider community to watch the video and consider the impact that this incident continues to have on the family.

"People may have protected or assisted Shahid in evading arrest and I specifically want to appeal to them.

"We will continue to actively trace Shahid Mohammed working with national and international law enforcement agencies."

Shaied Iqbal, 26, was found guilty of eight murders, Shakiel Shazad, 23, was convicted of eight counts of manslaughter, and Nasar Hussain, 24, was convicted of manslaughter. The jury heard the three men threw petrol bombs at the house.