Isis revenge threat over murder of Saudi student Nahid Almanea

Nahid Almanea was studying English at the University of Essex (PA)

Police have warned against revenge attacks after a Saudi Arabian student in traditional Muslim dress was brutally murdered on a footpath.

Nahid Almanea, 31, who was studying English at the University of Essex as part of her studies for a life sciences PhD, died after she was stabbed 16 times as she walked along a footpath in Colchester, Essex, on Tuesday morning.

Police are investigating the possibility that the student may have been targeted because she was wearing a Muslim abaya robe and a multicoloured hijab headscarf but say there are other possible motives.

Essex Police called for calm, saying they were aware threats of revenge attacks had been made on social media sites. A man claiming to be an Isis fighter in Syria wrote on Twitter calling for “any brother to take up knife to kill as they did” using the hashtag #Colchester. Detective Chief Superintendent Steve Worron said threats were being investigated.

A 52-year-old man from Colchester arrested on Tuesday in connection with the incident was tonight released, with police saying he had been positively eliminated from enquiries.

PA