Willowbrae accused in court on murder charge

Mohamud Mohamud appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today. Picture: TSPL

Mohamud Mohamud appeared in private yesterday at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

The 29-year-old, from London, made no plea or declaration to a charge which alleges he murdered Mohammed Abdi, 25, of Leith, on Sunday 26 May.

Last week, he had appeared in court on a breach of the peace charge.

Mohamud was detained by police after Mr Abdi was found lying in the street in the Willowbrae area of the capital with serious injuries.

Mr Abdi was rushed to hospital but died shortly afterwards.

Last week, Ahmed Hussain Ahmed also appeared in court in connection with the incident.

The 27-year-old, from Ealing, London, made no plea or declaration to a charge which alleges he disturbed the peace in Willowbrae on 26 May.

He is expected to reappear in court tomorrow.

Detectives are still investigating the death of Mr Abdi, who was found lying close to a crashed blue Volkswagen Sharan people carrier in Abercorn Avenue at just after 1am. He died of a gunshot wound after an armed car chase, police said.

An hour later, another man was found bleeding heavily in nearby Paisley Crescent. He was taken to hospital and has since been released after treatment.

Police have said they are linking the killing to incidents involving two groups of between six and ten men in the hours before Mr Abdi’s death.

On Monday, officers said they believed a car recovered in Glasgow may be linked to the fatal shooting.

The silver Ford Fiesta had been valeted since the incident and officers have said car-cleaning firms may have information which could help the inquiry.

Detective Superintendent Gary Flannigan, who is leading the investigation, said earlier this week: “Officers need to hear from car-valeting companies that have recently carried out work on a vehicle matching this description, or from anyone who may have knowledge of a silver Fiesta having been cleaned since last Sunday.”

Mr Abdi’s father, Omar, a senior member of Central Mosque in Edinburgh, last week paid tribute to his son in a statement released through police.

“Mohammed was my son and a much-loved member of the family,” he said.

“We have all been left devastated by his death and we want those responsible to be brought to justice so we can fully begin to grieve.”

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