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This article is more than 1 year old

A teenager who died after being stabbed in Greater Manchester has been named as 17-year-old Yousef Ghaleb Makki.

Yousef died after being stabbed in the village of Hale Barns, near Altrincham, on Saturday night.

The stabbing happened at about 6.40pm. Yousef died in hospital a short time later.

Two 17-year-old boys who were arrested on suspicion of his murder remained in custody.

Yousef, from the Manchester suburb of Burnage, was a pupil at Manchester Grammar school.

Police said his “loved ones” were being supported by specially trained officers.

DS Phil Reade, the head of GMP’s major incident team, said: “This is an incredibly tragic case which has seen a teenage boy sadly lose his life. Yousef’s family has understandably been left devastated by his death and the thoughts of the entire investigation team remain with them at this difficult time.

“A team of dedicated detectives have been working throughout the night and into today trying to establish exactly what happened. The investigation is in its very early stages and we continue to remain open-minded about why Yousef was attacked, and we would like to speak to anyone who may have information that can assist.”

The stabbing followed the murder of 17-year-old Jodie Chesney in east London. Home Secretary Sajid Javid greeted the two incidents with dismay, tweeting: “Young people are being murdered across the country and it can’t go on.”

Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid) Young people are being murdered across the county & it can’t go on. We’re taking action on many fronts & I’ll be meeting police chiefs this week to hear what more can be done. Vital we unite to stop this senseless violence

Police also seized two mountain bikes found near the scene of the stabbing in the village of Hale Barns, near Altrincham.

On Sunday a police cordon remained at the scene and another was in place on a bridge over the M56 that leads to neighbouring Wythenshawe.

The leafy village of Hale Barns is one of the wealthiest areas in Greater Manchester. Police recorded 50 incidents of antisocial behaviour in 2018 and no incidents of possession of weapons.

Denise Haddad, a local councillor, said: “Obviously this is a tragic incident but we must not let things get out of perspective because it is statistically one of the safest areas to live in. This is not something that has happened before and there is no evidence to suggest that more people are carrying knives in this area. We have not seen any spike in knife crime.

“People will be horrified and shocked because this is not something that happens or has happened in this area before. It is a nice leafy area and nice place to live with good schools in the area and a sense of community.”

Supt Marcus Noden of Greater Manchester police said the circumstances surrounding the boy’s death were still being established. “I know residents will be shocked and concerned to hear what has tragically taken place,” he said.

“There will be extra police patrols over the next few days and those officers are there to provide a visible presence and also for people to approach if they do have any concerns.

“This young man and his family will continue to be at the forefront of our minds throughout this investigation. Our thoughts are with his family at this heartbreaking time.

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Police chiefs have described a recent spate of knife crime across Britain as a national emergency and called for action to prevent more deaths. There have been 18 killings in London so far this year, five of which happened in nine days. Five people were stabbed on Tuesday, one of them fatally.

In Birmingham, three teenagers have died in knife attacks in the space of two weeks, and 269 knife crimes have been recorded so far this year. The West Midlands police and crime commissioner, David Jamieson, called this week for the government to give more funding to the region to help keep young people out of trouble.

Any witnesses to the Hale Barns attack were asked to call the police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.