An Afghan migrant has pleaded guilty to the fatal stabbing of a London shop worker in a premeditated attack earlier this year. Suliaman Tajzai, believed to be 18 years old but uncertain of his exact birth date, faced the Old Bailey last week where he admitted to murder and possession of a knife in a public place.

Tajzai traveled from Leeds to London on March 27 with the intent to attack Farmanullah Sherzad, 26. Court proceedings revealed that Tajzai waited outside Sherzad’s residence near Westminster Abbey before launching a violent assault. After Sherzad returned home, Tajzai pursued him through the Peabody Estate, stabbing him with a large kitchen knife. Police discovered Sherzad collapsed in a pool of blood with the weapon lodged in his chest, suffering injuries so severe that his lung had prolapsed. Sherzad was heard screaming during the attack.

The prosecution presented evidence showing that Tajzai had prepared for the assault in Leeds earlier that day by browsing for knives at a store. He then traveled by train to London King’s Cross station, changing his clothes and wearing a surgical mask before heading to the area where the attack occurred. Prosecutor Lisa Wilding KC described the incident as a deliberate and planned act, stating it was neither spontaneous nor coincidental.

Tajzai, who arrived in the UK via France four years ago after crossing the Channel on an inflatable boat, had been granted temporary asylum until January 2029. He initially denied the murder charge, and his defense cited psychiatric reports indicating he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, describing him as a “traumatized refugee.” However, Tajzai altered his plea to guilty on the fourth day of the trial.

The case also involved a prior conflict between Sherzad and Tajzai’s cousin, Zakirullah Tarakhail. The two men had clashed following revelations that Sherzad was messaging Tarakhail’s wife, Safa, in secret. In September 2023, Tarakhail accused Sherzad of stalking and trespass with intent to commit a sexual offense, though Safa refused to share evidence of the messaging with police. The following month, police found Sherzad at the Tarakhail residence with his wrists bound. Sherzad denied wrongdoing, stating he had a romantic relationship with Safa and that he had been ambushed by Tarakhail and Tajzai. Ultimately, the stalking case against Sherzad was dropped.

Tajzai remains in custody and is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday.