Man held on suspicion of murder of 14-year-old stabbed to death in east London, but more suspects sought

Police have charged an 18-year-old man on suspicion of the murder of Jaden Moodie, who was knocked off a moped and stabbed to death in a targeted attack in east London.

Ayoub Majdouline, of no fixed address but from the Wembley area, will appear at Thames magistrates court on Monday.

Earlier, officers said they were committed to hunting down a number of other individuals who they believe were also involved in killing the 14-year-old.

Detectives believe five men were in the black Mercedes that rammed into Jaden in Leyton on 8 January, and that three of them stabbed the schoolboy before driving off. Scotland Yard has said Jaden was killed in a frenzied attack lasting 30 seconds, suffering at least eight stab wounds inflicted by three male suspects.

DCI Chris Soole, from the Met’s homicide and major crime command, who is leading the investigation, said before the suspect was charged: “Although one man has been arrested in connection with this murder, we remain fully focused on locating and arresting others connected to this deadly attack.

“We have a number of inquiries that we are pursuing. However, we cannot solve this alone – we need the public to help us.”

The savagery of the attack on Jaden, which police say was “targeted”, made the murder stand out among recent homicides, according to investigating officers.

Last week police revealed there were five people in the Mercedes and all could be culpable of murder, not just the three who stabbed Jaden. Soole said one line of inquiry was that the suspects were connected to the supply of drugs.

The attack happened in an area with a large number of pedestrians and vehicles passing by, and not all the witnesses have come forward.

Soole said people should tell detectives what they knew, no matter how trivial they might think their information might be. He said anyone who witnessed the attack – at 6.30pm on Bickley Road – or had information about the suspects should not fear passing information to police.

Soole said: “I would urge anyone with any information about this crime to contact us without delay. I understand that some people may have reservations about contacting the police, but please be assured that any information provided will be treated in the strictest confidence. My team are ready to take your calls.

“The Mercedes recovered was found in Carlisle Road. Did you see a suspicious black vehicle in the area on the evening of Tuesday 8 January into the morning of Wednesday 9 January? We need to hear from you if you did.

“Jaden’s family are being fully supported and kept updated by our team. This is a truly heartbreaking time for them and we are doing everything we can to find out who was responsible for Jaden’s death. I would also like to take this opportunity to ask the media to respect Jaden’s family’s privacy at this extremely difficult time.”