Pavlo Lapshyn jailed for 40 years after stabbing Mohammed Saleem and plotting mosque bombings
The racist murderer who killed 82-year-old grandfather Mohammed Saleem in Birmingham and later plotted to bomb mosques across the West Midlands has died in prison.
Pavlo Lapshyn, a Ukrainian postgraduate student, stabbed Mr Saleem in April 2013, just days after arriving in the UK. The pensioner was walking home from evening prayers at his local mosque in Small Heath when he was attacked.
Prison Service confirms death
The Prison Service confirmed that Lapshyn, aged 37, died on Tuesday at HMP Wakefield.
“This was an abhorrent crime and our thoughts remain with Mr Saleem’s friends and family,” a spokesperson said.
As is routine with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will carry out an investigation into the circumstances.
Plot to bomb mosques
Following the murder, Lapshyn admitted to police that he had planted explosive devices near mosques in Walsall, Tipton and Wolverhampton. He later pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to murder and to preparing acts of terrorism.
In October 2013, he was sentenced to a minimum of 40 years. The judge condemned his “extremist, right-wing, white supremacist” views, stressing that they had “no place whatsoever in our multi-faith and multi-cultural society”.
Impact on the family
At the time of his sentencing, Mr Saleem’s family described the devastating effect of his murder, saying it was “impossible to move on from the shock and sadness” of losing a much-loved father and grandfather in such a brutal and senseless attack.
