Luton stabbing: Tributes paid to Ashraf Habimana

Tributes have been paid to an "extraordinary" 16-year-old boy who was fatally stabbed and and has been named locally as Ashraf Habimana.

Three teenagers were arrested on suspicion of murder after an attack on Nunnery Lane, Luton, at about 19:00 BST on Friday.

In a statement on a fundraising page, the boy's mother called him "loving, caring, calm and extraordinary".

An earlier stabbing on Sundon Park Road is being treated as connected.

Fiona Namusoke, who has organised a fundraiser for her son's funeral, said he was "senselessly robbed of his life" while coming home from school.

"Ashraf is my second son, my best friend, my hope, my dream, my future and the assistant carer to his extremely autistic brother," she wrote.

"He was a friend to so many, a confidant, an avid basketball player and a music lover with a dream to become a Cyber security analyst."

The page has raised more than £3,700 of a £12,000 target so far.

Another teenager is being treated at hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries following the Nunnery Lane attack.

The fatal stabbing followed a separate attack on Sundon Park Road at 16:00 in the town where two people were seriously injured and one arrested.

The Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit believed both incidents, about a mile apart, were connected.

On Nunnery Lane flowers have been left at the scene with one card reading: "Rest in eternal peace... Safe in the knowledge you are loved."

Another note read: "Gone but never forgotten."

The boy, understood to have been attending college, was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital with multiple stab wounds.

Another man, who also wished to remain anonymous, said: "We are upset we have lost our friend."

In a statement, Luton Sixth Form College, which Mr Habimana attended, said it was "deeply saddened" by the news.

It said: "In times like these it is crucial that we rally around one another, providing support, love and comfort to those who need it most.

"Let us remember the life that has been lost, a bright young individual with dreams and potential - let his memory inspire us to work tirelessly towards a safer, more compassionate community.

"This senseless act of violence has shaken us all, reminding us of the importance of coming together as a community to support one another."The college said it was "heart breaking to see a young life cut short in such a tragic manner" and that it hoped "to see justice served".

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