A newsagent murdered after posting an Easter greeting online was allegedly killed by a fellow Muslim who travelled from 200 miles away.
Asad Shah, 40, was stabbed to death with a kitchen knife and his head was stamped on in the brutal attack on Thursday 24th March in his shop in what is feared to have been a sectarian attack against the peace-loving branch of Islam he followed.
Hours before his murder, he had written on Facebook: 'Good Friday and very Happy Easter, especially to my beloved Christian nation.'
The bearded killer is understood to have travelled from his home in Bradford to Mr Shah's store in Glasgow.
Police suspect the incident was 'religiously prejudiced'.
It is claimed Mr Shah was set upon because he belonged to the Ahmadi community, which promotes peace and tolerance but has been persecuted by members of orthodox Islamic sects in Pakistan.
His murder is believed to be the first major anti-Ahmadi incident in the UK, and has sparked fears Islamic sectarianism has spread to Britain.
Police have arrested a 32-year-old Muslim man belonging to the rival Sunni sect over the murder.
An Uber taxi has been seized by police investigating the murder of Muslim shopkeeper Asad Shah - who was stabbed to death after wishing friends and customers a 'very happy Easter'.
The grey Volkswagan Passat mini-cab with Uber branding in the windscreen was parked opposite Mr Shah's shop in Glasgow, where he was killed just four hours after posting his Easter message to 'my beloved Christian nation'.
The vehicle - a private hire cab registered with the city council in Bradford, 200 miles from Glasgow - is feared to have transported Mr Shah's killer to the scene, and is now undergoing forensic testing.
Forensic officers slowly drove a recovery truck into the cordon and winched the private hire saloon cab onto the back of it before driving away.
The vehicle seizure happened at 2.30pm on Friday afternoon outside Mr Shah's shop on Minard Road in the Shawlands area of Glasgow but has only just come to light.
News of the seizure comes 24 hours after reports that Mr Shah's killer had travelled to Scotland from Bradford.
An Uber spokesman said yesterday that the car was registered to a private hire cab driver in Bradford who last used the Uber app on Monday, March 21.
The spokesman said the car had not been used for any Uber trips in Glasgow and said any driver given a private hire licence by Bradford City Council had to pass enhanced DBS disclosure tests.
Detectives are investigating the theory that the attacker became enraged over faith-related messages that the newsagent posted on his Facebook page.
Mr Shah's family say they now live in fear of retribution in the wake of the attack.
Speaking on the condition that his name was not published, one of the shopkeeper's three brothers said: 'We have to be careful now about our own security. We are scared for our lives. The police have told us to be careful about what we say.' Mr Shah's widow fought back tears as she described her husband as a 'kind man who was always smiling'.
Another of the victim's brothers, who now lives in the US, said the Pakistani family moved to Glasgow in the late 1990s and opened the shop in the Shawlands area.
'The people of Glasgow and Shawlands were so welcoming and we became part of the community,' he said.'[Asad] knew all his customers by name and sometimes they would just come in for a chat.
'He was a calm and patient man and did not mind where people were from or what religion they were. He liked everyone. He would give people cards for Christmas and for Easter as he knew it was important to them.'
Another Ahmadi Muslim in Glasgow said: 'The last I've heard of people experiencing sectarianism like we do was in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. Orthodox Muslims consider us to be blasphemers.'
Family friend Mohammad Faisal said a bearded Muslim man wearing a long religious garment spoke angrily to Mr Shah in his native language before stabbing him up to 30 times in the head.
He added: 'It was just a clear-cut revenge attack. For posting messages about peace, messages about greeting fellow Christians and Jews – other people from different beliefs.'
The suspect was due to appear in court Tuesday.
Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Ruaraidh Nicolson and Commander Mak Chishty, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for race, religion and belief, have now written to communities in the south side of Glasgow vowing to deal “swiftly and strongly” with issues.
The letter read: “We would like to express our sincere condolences to his family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this difficult time. We would like to reassure you that we will be working very closely with all communities and any sectarian conflict, hatred or extremism will be dealt with swiftly and strongly. We are proud of our community cohesion.
“Through continuing to work and engage with our communities we will ensure they remain safe and are always protected. If you have any concerns, please feel able to contact your local policing teams, who will be happy to help. Additional patrols and police visibility have been arranged to help reassure you at this difficult time.”
Meanwhile, more than £87,000 has been raised on an online fundraising page for the family of Asad Shah, the much-loved local shopkeeper who was fatally stabbed hours after posting an Easter message of inter-faith harmony on Facebook.
Over 4,500 people have donated on the GoFundMe page, which was created on Good Friday by some of his customers to raise money for his family.
Posts on the page describe the shopkeeper as a “popular, well-respected and much-loved” member of the community.
Two vigils were also held in the local area over the weekend.
A silent vigil on Friday evening was attended by about 400 people, including Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, whose constituency covers the area.
An event held on Saturday was organised by local teenagers on social media.
