'Don't go out alone': Police warning as they release haunting last CCTV pictures of Saudi student - taken just 20 minutes before she was stabbed 16 times 'for wearing a hijab'

Nahid Almanea, 31, was found dying in Colchester, Essex, on Tuesday

Suffered 16 stab wounds to her body, neck, head and arms



The student was wearing Muslim dress - an Abaya robe and a hijab scarf

Police believe that the religious clothing may have made her a target



It emerged today that Ms Almanea was studying English ahead of her PhD

Officers have warned the public not to go to 'isolated places' by themselves



Teachers paid tribute today to 'considerate' and 'hard-working' student



Was 'seeking brighter future' studying life sciences at University of Essex



Police questioning 52-year-old man from Colchester in connection with death

Echoes of the murder of James Attfield, who was stabbed 100 times in March



CCTV footage capturing a Saudi student walking alone 20 minutes before she was murdered has been released as police warn people in the area not to go out by themselves.



The harrowing clip shows Nahid Almanea, 31, outside shops in Colchester, Essex, just before she was stabbed 16 times in a frenzied attack on a nearby footpath.



Officers believe the PhD student could have been targeted because of her traditional Muslim dress - a long, dark robe and a headscarf.



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Minutes before death: Police video shows Naid Almanea walking just minutes before she was stabbed to death 'for wearing Muslim robes.' Officers said they had arrested a 19-year-old man in connection to the crime today

Moments: In haunting footage, Ms Almanea can be see walking down the road about 20 minutes before she was attacked. She was stabbed 16 times

Murder hunt: The man was arrested shortly after midnight in connection with a separate assault, police said

They appealed for anybody who may have been in or around the shops to come forward if they had been the student - whom they said was about 5ft 4in tall.

They also released information from Ms Almanea's post-mortem. Detective Chief Superintendent Steve Worron said : ' We can now confirm that the cause of death was knife wounds.'



'She suffered at least two knife wounds which would have proved fatal on their own, but in total she was stabbed 16 times to her body, neck, head and arms.

' She also suffered an injury to the back of her head but that is believed to have been caused when she fell to the ground during the attack.

It was said that she would usually walk to university with her brother, with whom she lived, but he started earlier than her on Tuesday so they walked separately.



He also appealed for witnesses, asking residents: 'Did anyone come home on Tuesday morning in an agitated and distressed state?

Distinctive: Police also released an imahge of this bag, which Ms Almanea was carrying at the time

'Have they quickly disposed of any clothing they would normally retain? Has their behaviour changed suddenly within the last couple of days?'

Colchester District Command Richard Phillibrown added that his force's priority is to 'keep people safe and progress the investigation.'

He promised 'increased police presence - and a lot of visibility', but added that 'It is important that people are aware of their own surroundings' when they go out, and advised against walking around alone.

He said advice for residents ' includes avoiding situations in which you could find yourself isolated and alone in a public area.'

The 'quiet, considerate' student was wearing a dark blue robe called an Abaya, as well as a multi-coloured hijab scarf, leading police to believe she may have been targeted for religious reasons.

Ms Almanea was taking a language course at Essex University ahead of starting a life sciences PhD. She is thought to have been living in Colchester with her brother.

Paramedics tried to save her but she died at the scene from head and body injuries. Police confirmed Ms Almanea's identity this morning.

Teachers from the English language course Ms Almanea studied - from which she was due to graduate in August - today paid tribute to her.

Last moments: The above map shows the route Essex Police believe Ms Almanea took before she was stabbed

Richard Barnard, head of the University of Essex's International Academy, said: ‘Nahid was a student on the Essex English Language Programme, which develops students' English language skills.

‘Nahid joined this programme and was a very hard-working and conscientious student, who was making excellent progress.



‘She was a quiet, considerate and well-respected member of the programme and had ambitions to move on to further academic study. She will be greatly missed by her teachers and her fellow students.’



Muslim student leaders yesterday expressed their dismay at the attack.

Omar Ali, president of the Federation of Student Islamic Societies, said: 'A Saudi international student at the University of Essex, Nahid Almanea, had only recently come to the UK in pursuit of an education for a brighter future.

'Essex Police have confirmed that her hijab (Muslim dress) may have played a factor in this horrific crime.

'This is the saddest piece news I have had the displeasure of receiving in all my years of student activism. Our sincere prayers are with our sister who has been murdered and we extend our sincerest condolences to her family.'

Cordon: Paramedics attended the scene just after 10.40am but they were unable to save the victim

Detective Superintendent Tracy Hawkings said officers were keeping an open mind about the motive of the attack.

But she added: 'We are conscious that the dress of the victim will have identified her as likely being a Muslim and this is one of the main lines of the investigation but again there is no firm evidence at this time that she was targeted because of her religion.'

Detectives are now appealing for witnesses who used the trail between 8.30am and 11am that day.



Ms Hawkings said: 'This crime was committed on a busy thoroughfare where you would expect a number of people to be walking.



'It was a brazen, reckless attack and there is a high likelihood people were there or there about at the time.'

REVENGE THREATS FROM ISIS MILITANTS IN IRAQ AND SYRIA

A jihadist militant fighting in the Middle East has called on extremists to carry out revenge killings in the wake of Ms Almanea's death. A man using the name Abu Rashash Britani said: 'These kuffar getting out of hand, dare they touch a #Muslimah . 'I call upon any brother to take up a knife and kill as they did #colchester'.

'Kuffar' is a derogatory term for non-Muslim. Extremists posting messages from the conflict - where fighters for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) are battling the Iraqi government - have recently hinted that they may return to the UK. Yesterday Britani suggested that he and other fighters were under orders from ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi to come back and cause chaos in the UK.



Officers also asked residents to check their gardens and rubbish bins for any discarded weapons or blood stained clothing.

The victim is believed to have left her home in the Greenstead area of Colchester at around 10am.

Ms Hawkings said: 'We have not yet been able to formally identify the victim but we believe we know who she is and specially trained family liaison officers are speaking with her family now.

'A forensic post-mortem is due to be carried out this afternoon to establish the cause of death but at this time it would appear that a knife or other bladed weapon was used in this attack.

'The victim also suffered facial injuries but the cause of these has yet to be established.

'We have no further detail on the murder weapon or weapons at this time but if anyone comes across any suspicious items which they think could be connected to this murder we would ask them to call us.'

After the incident, police launched a search of the area using sniffer dogs and a helicopter with thermal imaging equipment.



A cordon was set up around the area as forensics officers began work.

The University of Essex, where Ms Almanea studied, warned its students to stay vigilant walking through the town.

In an email to students yesterday, the university said: 'There is a police presence on campus, and police are speaking to users of the Salary Brook trail.



'When travelling to and from campus don’t walk alone if possible, don’t take short cuts and keep to well-lit areas. Stay vigilant and be aware of your surroundings.'

Death: The woman was found the Salary Brook Trail public path on the outskirts of Colchester, Essex

Probe: Police are appealing for anyone with information. It is the second brutal murder in the town since March

One local resident said: 'It’s a terrible thing to happen but it can be quite rough around here.

'I just hope they get to the bottom of what happened.'

The woman was found on the Salary Brook Trail on the outskirts of Colchester. The footpath was cordoned off by police yesterday.

Neighbour Jane Davies, 66, who lives not far from the path in the Greenstead area of Colchester, said Ms Almanea moved in about three weeks ago.

Ms Almanea's death was similar to that of Mr Attfield (pictured), police said

She said: 'There is a real sense of shock here. It would be horrible to think it was something to do with race.



'I saw her every morning and she was always in a silver car. I can't think for the life of me why she didn't drive on Tuesday.

Jane Davis, who lives on the same street said she saw her every day.



She said: 'She would leave about 10am and come back about 3pm - I assume those were her university times.



'She was always in her full Muslim dress. You'd never think for a minute that somebody would attack her in the street like that.



'I live on my own and it makes you wonder what people are capable of. I won't go out on my own at night.'



Essex University student Ataa Koonison, 22, said: 'I'm sure she only moved in three or so weeks ago, so I haven't really got to know her... When I came back to the police here, I was really scared.



'I'm sure a lot of people take that same route to the university.'



Saudi Arabian diplomats yesterday offered condolences to the family, and said they are working to bring home her body.

A statement from the Saudi embassy in the UK said: 'Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Ambassador to the UK, expressed in a telephone call to the brother of the deceased his sincerest condolences to her family.



‘He affirmed the embassy's speed in taking all the procedures for the transfer of the body of the deceased to the Kingdom.'



Officers are also looking at possible links with the murder of James Attfield, a vulnerable man with brain damage who died after being stabbed more than 100 times at a park in the town in March.

'There are some immediate similarities between this murder and that of James Attfield but there are also a large number of differences as well,' she said.

'There is no current known motive for this attack and we are keeping an open mind and exploring all possible avenues of investigation.'

Officers will be carrying out additional patrols in the area.

Anyone with any information should contact the major investigation team on 01245 282103, Essex Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.