HE GRINNED AS HE BOUGHT A KNIFE — HOURS LATER, A 26-YEAR-OLD MAN WAS DEAD

CCTV captured the chilling moments an 18-year-old bought a knife in Leeds before travelling more than 150 miles to London, where he later killed a man in a feud that had been simmering for months.

The disturbing CCTV footage has emerged after Suliaman Tajzai, 18, pleaded guilty to murdering 26-year-old Farmanullah Sherzad in Westminster.

Tajzai admitted murder and possession of a bladed article at the Old Bailey on September 11. He is due to be sentenced on September 18.

THE CHILLING SHOPPING TRIP

On March 27, Tajzai was captured on CCTV entering a corner shop in Leeds shortly after midday.

At around 12:17 p.m., footage showed him selecting a knife from a shelf before approaching the counter.

According to the footage reported after his conviction, Tajzai appeared relaxed and was seen laughing and talking with the cashier while purchasing the weapon.

He then began a journey of more than 150 miles from Leeds to London.

Investigators later established that he had previously travelled to the capital to look at Sherzad’s home and workplace, according to police and court evidence.

WAITING OUTSIDE THE HOME

Later that evening, Tajzai waited near Sherzad’s Westminster home.

At around 10:15 p.m., Sherzad returned from work.

CCTV captured the moment he encountered Tajzai and attempted to run away.

The teenager followed him, with the pursuit continuing through Westminster streets before Sherzad was fatally stabbed on Abbey Orchard Street.

A member of the public found Sherzad unconscious and called emergency services.

Despite efforts to save him, the 26-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.

THE CLUE LEFT BEHIND

Tajzai fled after the killing.

But investigators later found a pair of black gloves near St James’s Park.

Forensic examination reportedly found Sherzad’s blood on the gloves, while DNA recovered from inside them was linked to Tajzai.

Investigators also reconstructed his movements using CCTV, helping establish the journey from Leeds to London and his movements before and after the killing.

Tajzai later attempted to catch a train from King’s Cross back to Leeds but missed it. He eventually caught another service shortly after 6 a.m. the following morning.

A FEUD THAT HAD STARTED MONTHS EARLIER

The court heard that tensions between the two men dated back to autumn 2025.

Prosecutors said there was a pre-existing connection between Sherzad and the wife of Tajzai’s cousin, which had deteriorated.

In October 2025, police attended the cousin’s home in Leeds and found Sherzad tied up on the floor.

Sherzad was arrested on suspicion of stalking and trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence, but was later released with no further action.

He subsequently claimed that he was in a relationship with the woman and said he had travelled to Leeds after she invited him through Snapchat, according to evidence reported from the case.

Months later, the dispute would end with Sherzad dead in Westminster.

“A BRUTAL AND SENSELESS ACT”

Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley, who led the investigation, said the case had required investigators to piece together CCTV and forensic evidence.

He described it as a devastating case in which a young man lost his life in what police characterized as a brutal and senseless act.

Tajzai has now pleaded guilty to the killing.

He is scheduled to appear at the Old Bailey on September 18 for sentencing.

The case has left investigators with a disturbing sequence of events: a teenager entering a shop in Leeds, calmly buying a knife, boarding a train to London, waiting for his target to return home — and then a fatal confrontation hours later.

What looked like an ordinary shopping trip on CCTV would ultimately become a crucial piece of evidence in a murder investigation.