An 18-year-old Afghan refugee named Sulaiman Tajzai, from Leeds, has admitted to the murder of 26-year-old Farmanullah Sherzad in central London. Tajzai pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to the murder and to possessing a bladed article. He will be sentenced on 18 September. According to the Metropolitan Police, Tajzai bought a knife near his home in Leeds on 27 March and traveled to Westminster, where he fatally stabbed Sherzad. Police were called to Abbey Orchard Street shortly before 10:15pm after reports of a stabbing. Sherzad died at the scene from multiple wounds. CCTV footage showed Tajzai arriving at King’s Cross station and walking to the victim’s home. The trial heard that Sherzad left work at 10pm and cycled back to his address, where Tajzai was already waiting. A scuffle occurred near Sherzad’s house, and he ran "screaming for his life" as Tajzai attacked him, according to Lisa Wilding KC. Tajzai fled the scene and tried to catch a train back to Leeds from King’s Cross station but missed it and boarded another one the following morning. He was arrested at his cousin’s house in Leeds on 29 March, and police seized multiple items belonging to him, including a pair of blood-stained trainers. The alleged animosity between Tajzai and Sherzad was said to have originated in the autumn of 2025. Prosecutors stated there was a "pre-existing connection" between Tajzai’s cousin’s wife and Sherzad, which had "turned sour." The cousin and his wife had reported Sherzad to police in September last year, showing an officer an image of the victim and text messages in Arabic. When spoken to privately, the wife deleted the texts, refused to sign a statement, and left the police station. In October 3, police attended the couple’s home in Leeds and found Sherzad sitting on the floor with his wrists tied together with fabric and no shoes on. Sherzad was arrested on suspicion of stalking and trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence. However, he claimed to be in a relationship with the wife, saying he had come to Leeds to visit after she had invited him on the social media platform Snapchat. Following his release, the cousin and his wife contacted the police multiple times and were later told there would be "no further action" against Sherzad. CCTV footage revealed that Tajzai had travelled to London in the weeks before the attack to scope out Sherzad’s home address and where he worked, the police said. In a statement after Tajzai pleaded guilty, Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley, who led the investigation, said: "This is a devastating case in which a young man lost his life after being subjected to a brutal and senseless act of violence. No family should have to endure the pain of losing a loved one in such circumstances."