LONDON: The uncle of a young Syrian refugee who was stabbed to death in the UK on April 3 said the boy had only lived in the town he was in for two weeks before he was killed.

Ahmad Mamdouh Al-Ibrahim, 16, was stabbed in the neck in Huddersfield while out getting to know the area. Alfie Franco, 20, was arrested and appeared in court charged with Al-Ibrahim鈥檚 murder.

Al-Ibrahim was living in Huddersfield with the family of his uncle, who told The Guardian that he had encouraged his nephew to go out and make friends following the end of Ramadan.

鈥淗e was trying to make a friend, because he didn鈥檛 have friends here. I said to him, you have to go out into the town centre to know (where everything is), to know where you can go shopping 鈥� plus, you鈥檙e going to make friends,鈥� said his uncle, who asked to remain anonymous.

鈥淗e鈥檇 only spent a few days with my kids but they loved him so much because he was a very nice boy, very lovely and kindly with the kids. He played with them and gave them a lot of time.鈥� 

He said rumors circulating online that his nephew was a drug dealer had caused him great distress, adding that he had not yet told his own children, all aged under 10, that their cousin is dead. They believe he is still in hospital.

鈥淗e was only 16,鈥� he said tearfully. 鈥淗e was a good boy. He went from a nice family (in Syria) to a nice family (in the UK).鈥�

Al-Ibrahim, he said, had left behind his family in the Syrian city of Homs, where he had been a popular student with teachers and classmates, and had excelled at maths.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 why he came here. He wished to be a doctor, to save people,鈥� said his uncle, who fled the civil war in Syria.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been eight years here 鈥� we鈥檝e not had trouble, not had a problem. We go from work to home, school, that鈥檚 it.鈥�

Al-Ibrahim鈥檚 uncle said when he first moved to the UK last October, his nephew had spent time in a refugee center in Swansea.

He told The Guardian that staff at the center, as well as the teenager鈥檚 social worker, were 鈥渉eartbroken鈥� by what had happened, and that they told him they had 鈥渘ever seen him happy like this鈥� when they checked on his well-being after he moved to Huddersfield on March 20.

鈥淭hey were crying for Ahmad, they said they loved him,鈥� the uncle said, adding that the family had been left afraid by the killing.

鈥淚鈥檝e been (in Huddersfield) eight years. I thought it was a safe place. I didn鈥檛 worry before, like now.鈥�

Many members of the local community have raised money for Al-Ibrahim鈥檚 body to be returned to his family in Syria.

Maneer Siddique, who owns a local tailoring business, launched a fundraising page that has raised over 拢10,000 ($12,910) for the family.

鈥淵ou would want help if you were in a dire situation, so why shouldn鈥檛 you help somebody else in a dire situation,鈥� Siddique told The Guardian.