Teen arrested after manhunt over fatal stabbing

Following a successful manhunt by West Midlands Police for 17-year-old Oumar Traore on suspicion of murder over the fatal stabbing of Yassin Alama, police have arrested a 17-year-old teenager on at a property in Birmingham in connection with the murder.

West Midlands Police confirmed today that a 17-year-old boy has been detained on suspicion of murdering 19-year-old Yassin Alama, who was fatally stabbed on Hutton Road, Handsworth, at around 5.20pm on Sunday 16 November.

An 18 year old was also arrested on suspicion of aiding a fugitive.

The arrest follows an urgent and highly visible manhunt launched yesterday for 17-year-old Oumar Traore, who had been named as the prime suspect wanted in connection with the killing. Detectives had previously circulated Traore’s photograph to the public and warned that he should not be approached under any circumstances.

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Yassin Alama suffered fatal knife wounds during what officers described as a violent street attack. Despite the rapid arrival of paramedics, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

In the hours after the incident, officers from the force’s homicide unit made repeated attempts to locate Traore, but were initially unable to trace him. This led to a public appeal on Monday 17 November and the deployment of additional resources across the local area.

Detective Inspector Jenny Birch, leading the investigation, said yesterday:

“This was a violent attack in the street which has resulted in the death of Yassin. We need to find and arrest Traore as soon as possible. If anyone sees him, or has information about where he might be, they should call us straight away on 999, quoting log 3135 of 16 November.”

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Additional high-visibility patrols have also been deployed as the murder inquiry continues.

The suspect remains in custody and is being questioned by detectives.