Mohanad Abdullaahi Goobe lost his life at the height of a bitter social media conflict
It began with a petty insult during a TikTok live stream and spiralled into a murderous war on the streets of a Manchester suburb.
Teenagers – obsessed with pride, ‘beef’ and settling scores – discussed ‘cheffing’ rivals as tensions simmered.
Mindless bravado fuelled increasingly violent social media threats. Fist fights saw ‘winners’ crowned and ‘losers’ licking their wounds as they plotted revenge.
Get MEN Premium now for just £1 HERE – or get involved in our WhatsApp group by clicking HERE. And don’t miss out on our brilliant selection of newsletters HERE.
Soon, boys were arming themselves for one final battle. At the height of the bitter conflict, Mohanad Abdullaahi Goobe lost his life. Just 15-years-old, he was dragged to the floor and knifed in the chest.
For the past four weeks, the events of that day – and the build-up – have been the subject of a tense Bolton Crown Court trial. Three boys – referred to in press reports as ‘Boy A’, 16; ‘Boy B’, 15; and ‘Boy C’, 14, were in the dock. They cannot be named for legal reasons.
It is not known who delivered the fatal blow. This week, ‘Boy A’ and ‘Boy B’ were found guilty of murder. ‘Boy C’ was convicted of manslaughter.
Mohanad’s devastated family said in the wake of the tragedy: “[He] deserves to be remembered for the young man who was loved by his family and loved big in return, not as the boy whose life was taken with no thought or reason.
“We will not allow his name to be known as yet another statistic in the rise of knife crime.”
Here, the Manchester Evening News looks back at the evidence in the case…
‘Who are you talking to?’
‘Boy A’, the court was told, was scrolling on TikTok when he came across a live stream. The person filming noticed his handle. ‘Boy A’ said he was called a ‘p***y’.
“Who are you talking to?,” he wrote in the comments. “Come have it on,” the lad streaming responded. Hours later on August 25 they were squaring off in an alley off Great Western Street in Moss Side.
There was pushing and shoving. Punches were thrown, but none connected. ‘Boy A’ headbutted his opponent, knocking him to the ground. Less than a minute later, the fight was over. ‘Boy A’ told jurors he was the ‘winner’.
“He squared up to me and we started fighting,” ‘Boy A’ said. “I headbutted him about 40 seconds in and knocked him unconscious. He tried to continue, but had to give up and I won.”
The court heard the defeated boy knew Mohanad. Speaking on Snapchat, another friend said the loss had ‘put [them] in aura debt’. A ‘rematch’ would be arranged.
Before that meeting, ‘Boy A’ fought another of Mohanad’s friend of at Alexandra Park. He told the jury he couldn’t remember why or what the scrap, five days after the first, was about.
Captured on video, the two boys were seen brawling in the middle of a large group. Among the crowd was Mohanad and ‘Boy B’. It wasn’t clear what, or who, started the fight. Footage showed spectators shouting encouragement as the two lads swung at each other.
There were numerous ’rounds’ as the fight went on. It ended in ‘Boy A’s’ opponent sitting on him.
That night, things got heated online. It soon became clear in court these weren’t simply schoolyard scuffles. Something much darker was brewing. These were boys wanting to play men.
In Snapchat messages, ‘Boy A’ told a rival he had ‘a bag of shanks’. In court, he said he didn’t have knives and said it to ‘intimidate’ the other boy.
‘These man had a shank and there was 20 of them’
On August 30, ‘Boy B’ filmed a mate as he showed a large knife to the camera. Only his hands could be seen as he unsheathed the blade.
That night, the three of them went to hospital as ‘Boy B’ had a cut on his thumb. He claimed he did it chopping vegetables, but ‘Boy A’ later told jurors he did it ‘swinging the knife about’.
Days later, ‘Boy A’ and pals ‘jumped’ a friend of Mohanad. Boy A was said to be armed with a knife.
Asked by a friend on Snapchat why he ‘let’ that happen, Mohanad replied: “These man had a shank [knife] and there was 20 of them.” The group saw ‘Boy A’s’ alleged possession of a knife as an ‘escalation’.
“Wallahi [I swear to God] the mandem are patterning [getting] these shanks,” Mohanad wrote. “Get the gloves, IDGAF I’m riding out every day, I might chef [stab] one of them,” he added. “I expect every single one of us to ride out.”
The next day, Mohanad posted stills from a clip of the fight at Alexandra Park, between ‘Boy A’ and his friend. ‘Boy A’ told him to meet for a ‘one-on-one’, but Mohanad refused.
In a group chat, Mohanad wrote: “Imagine cheffing was haram [forbidden] and not illegal… I would chef every single one of them.”
In the days leading up to the fatal fight, one of Mohanad’s friends live on TikTok to ‘p**s off’ the other group. Within hours, a group chat was set up by ‘Boy A’ and a plan for revenge was hatched.
“Tensions were developing and not dying down,” prosecutor Alex Leach KC said.
‘F***ing kill them’
On September 14, Snapchat discussions turned to tactics for the ‘rematch’ on September 15. ‘Boy C’ suggested taking a dog for ‘intimidation’. He and his friends talked about forming three rows of people, with ‘Boy A’, ‘Boy B’ and ‘Boy C’ at the front.
“I want at least 30 people there,” ‘Boy C’ wrote. As plans were put formed on both sides, a boy acting as a ‘go-between’ for the two groups messaged Mohanad advising him to ‘get it over with, no shanks, fists only’.
“You man already took it there,” Mohanad replied. He told another friend to ‘just not go’. The two groups traded insults, with the go-between pressing Mohanad to get involved.
“Just do something when you man see us,” Mohanad replied, but agreed to ‘back’ the fight later that day. “This kid should have stayed out of it,” ‘Boy A’ wrote, referring to Mohanad.
‘Boy B’ told ‘Boy A’: “Let’s get the wap [weapon] from the bush.” One of their group said ‘Boy A’ should ‘f***ing kill them’. “Who said I am going to kill another man?,” he replied.
‘Boy B’ messaged someone on TikTok asking: “You coming tomorrow? How many you got left? Any big ting?” In his evidence, ‘Boy A’ said he said he thought it would be a ‘fist fight’ and denied taking knives.
Prosecutors said the earlier video taken by ‘Boy B’ on August 30, showing a friend holding a knife in a plastic bag with its sheath nearby, showed he was ‘involved’ in the acquisition of blades.
“When you look at the messages on September 14, the intention is clear,” prosecutor Alex Leach KC said. “Boy B was in the business of getting a large knife for the following day.”
‘I threw a blow back’
On the day of the fight, September 15, ‘Boy A’ put on his school uniform to trick his mum into thinking he was going to lessons. Instead, he met up with ‘Boy B’ at his house while his parents were at work.
‘Boy B’ filmed ‘Boy A’ as they admired two large knives on his bed. ‘Boy A’ said another friend took the blades over.
After, they got changed and left to meet their group at Whitworth Park. Body cam footage from two patrolling officers at the park shows members of the group with their faces covered.
The boys left, with CCTV footage later showing them walking behind Mohanad’s group along Moss Lane East. As they reached the junction with Monton Street, a fight broke out between the two groups. Up to 20 lads were involved.
Footage showed the violence quickly escalated, with members of both groups running across the road. During the chaos, Mohanad was stabbed.
He was dragged to the ground and kicked before the being stabbed in the chest. He died in hospital later that day. Giving evidence, ‘Boy A’ claimed Mohanad had swung towards him first.
“What did you do?,” his barrister asked. “I threw a blow back, it connected. I was trying to defend myself. I didn’t see if he was injured,” ‘Boy A’ said.
He claimed in the dock he had no prior issues with Mohanad. “Did you arm yourself that day and have a knife?,” he was asked. “No,” Boy A said. “Did you stab Mohanad?,” he was asked. “No,” he said.
Ultimately jurors concluded ‘Boy A’ and ‘Boy B’ were guilty of murder, with ‘Boy C’ convicted of manslaughter. They will be sentenced on May 21.
‘Not just another statistic’
Paying tribute Mohaned following his death, his family said he was ‘quick to laugh, easy to love, with a ready smile’.
His loved ones added: “Mohanad was our 15-year-old son, and a younger sibling to his sister and brother. Mohanad was the baby of the family, he was quick to laugh, easy to love, with a ready smile. Our son had an uncanny ability to make you laugh, making it sometimes difficult to be serious with him.
“Mohanad had many friends, he was loyal and often played the class clown, simply to see them laugh. Mohanad’s life has been cut tragically short, it is difficult to comprehend that seeing your son head off for school in the morning, would be the last time that we would see that handsome face.
“Mohanad deserves to be remembered for the young man who was loved by his family, and loved big in return, not as the boy whose life was taken with no thought or reason.
“We will not allow his name to be known as yet another statistic in the rise of knife crime. Remember Mohanad with love in your heart and a kind word on your lips.”
Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector Alex Wilkinson, of GMP’s Major Incident Team, said: “Our thoughts first and foremost remain with the friends and family of Mohanad following this horrific incident.
“I would like to thank them for their courage and strength during the trial, and I hope the verdict will help them in their steps towards justice for Mohanad.
“Our investigators worked tirelessly across this investigation – from undertaking several warrants, speaking to countless witnesses and scouring hours of CCTV footage to understand the elements that have led up to Mohanad’s death.
“One life lost to knife crime is one too many, and we will continue our commitment to get justice for families who have been affected by knife crime.”
You must be logged in to post a comment Login