Three men have been arrested in Blackburn in north-west England by detectives investigating the murder of Aya Hachem, 19, who was gunned down outside a Lidl supermarket on Sunday, 17 May.
Aya, who is from a Muslim family, and her three siblings came to the UK nine years ago from the village of Qlaileh in southern Lebanon.
She was studying law and worked as a trustee for the Children's Society, whose chief executive Mark Russell said she was a "truly remarkable young woman, and an inspiring voice for children and young people."
Detective Superintendent Andy Cribbin stressed that it was not a racially-motivated or terrorist attack.
— Lancashire Police (@LancsPolice) May 18, 2020
He said: "There is no evidence to suggest Aya was the intended target of this attack and every indication is that she was an innocent passer-by, making this all the more tragic. We are determined to find who did this to Aya, particularly for her family, who are understandably devastated at their loss."
Three men, aged 33, 36 and 39, have been arrested and are being questioned about the killing.
— Noreen Khan (@DJNoreenKhan) May 18, 2020
Aya was shot in broad daylight as she went to queue up to do some grocery shopping amid the coronavirus lockdown. As a Muslim, she was fasting during Ramadan, and was buying food for the traditional iftar meal later in the evening.
Police say the fatal shots were fired from a light green Toyota Avensis which drove past her, but it is thought the killers may have been targeting someone standing in close proximity to her or that she was the victim of mistaken identity.
— Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu (@SholaMos1) May 18, 2020
Blackburn is a former cotton mill town which has a Muslim population of 30 percent, mainly from Pakistan and India. It has high rates of unemployment and deprivation and in recent years a rise in drug use and consequent drug gang violence.
It is most famous for its football club, Blackburn Rovers, who won the English Premier League as recently as 1995.
