THE WHOLE community was shaken when a Leicester shop, and the flat above it, were devastated by a massive explosion and then engulfed in a massive ball of flames last Sunday, 25th February.
The blaze and its aftermath totally destroyed the premises – we haven’t seen such neat gaps between buildings, edged with charred remains, since we last looked at pictures of World War II bombs taking out a single house and leaving its neighbours standing.
Even more important than the destruction of the bricks and mortar was the fact that the blast and fire left five people dead: two brothers, their mother and the girlfriend of one of the boys in the flat; one woman in the shop.
It wasn’t clear what had happened. Was this a terrorist attack? Or a racist attack? Or even a terror device which had gone off prematurely? It was a Polish shop, the residents of the flat above were not white – it was very confused.
Cadent, the company which supplied gas to the premises, was one of the first to be questioned – but it was very quickly released from questioning, after confirming that the gas main at the property was in sound condition.
The police quickly arrested three men on suspicion of manslaughter – and they have now announced that the three have been charged with manslaughter and arson.
The three are Arum Kurd, 33, of Hillary Place, Leicester; Hawkar Hassan, 32, of Eld Road, Coventry; and Arkan Ali, 37, of Drake Road, Oldham.
Police have also arrested two men from East Anglia on suspicion of conspiracy to cause an explosion and offences under the Proceeds of Crime Act. They both remain in police custody and have not yet been charged.
While the police investigation continues, the community has rallied round. Friends and neighbours of the Ragoober family, three of the members of which lost their lives, are running a financial appeal locally.
Fundraising is also underway for the family of Viktorija Ijevleva, 22, who also died in the blast. She had recently graduated from Norwich university and was about to start a new job as an accountant in Coventry. She has two younger siblings.
Leicester City fans applauded at the 17th minute of their game against Bournemouth on the Saturday after the fatal incident – to remember the blast victims but in particular to pay tribute to 17 year old Sean Ragoobeer, a stalwart City fan.
Now the public – and particularly the community in Leicester is waiting for more information to be released to clarify what caused these five people to lose their lives.
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