Father's plea over suitcase body

Philip Nettleton12 April 2012

The father of a murder victim whose body was dumped in a suitcase at Heathrow Airport today made an emotional plea for help in catching the killer.

Bouchaib Kama spoke out as police, in a rare move, named their prime suspect, Youseff Ahmed Mosalam Wahid, 33, who fled to the Middle East after Fatima Kama, 28, was knifed 17 times.

Mr Kama, 57, an executive director of a hotel chain, said: "It has been three years since my eldest daughter Fatima was brutally murdered. She was a beautiful girl, so young and full of life.."

It is believed Wahid, a former cabin steward with Kuwaiti Airlines, left Britain on 18 July 1999.

Fatima's body was discovered in a black suitcase on a luggage trolley in a car park at Terminal Three the night before.

Scotland Yard traced Wahid, who is believed to be travelling on a false passport, first to the Lebanon and then to Saudi Arabia where he was working in a furniture shop in Jeddah. However before arrest warrants could be issued Wahid had vanished.

Mr Kama added: "I ask anyone who knows him to help. Think how you would feel if this happened to a member of your family."

Police believe Ms Kama, who was a trainee accountant but dreamed of becoming a singer, was murdered for £40,000 of cash and jewellery. The money has never been recovered but some of the jewellery turned up at a business premises on the Edgware Road. Detectives believe Wahid could now be living in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia or Lebanon. They

also released a seven-yearold passport photograph of Wahid but said he could have changed his appearance.

Murder Squad officer Commander Andy Baker said Ms Kama had been stabbed in the chest and back and had her throat cut. He said it was difficult to say if there was a sexual motive. He said: "This was a callous robbery-murder and we need information that will lead us to the perpetrators."

The victim, who was born in Morocco but was a Canadian citizen made regular trips to Britain to visit her " extremely wealthy" Saudi Arabian boyfriend, who is not a suspect. She had arrived in Britain for the last time on 10 July 1999 and was due to return to Montreal the following day.

Ms Kama was staying at a flat in Portsea Place, Marble Arch which was owned by a friend of hers and Wahid's. .

Officers believe she was killed there and her body packed into a black fabric suitcase, bearing the motif "Black Paw New York".

Travellers noticed that the case on a luggage trolley appeared forgotten and a security guard opened it to find the body in a foetal position.

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