Was arson attack that killed mother and three children a case of mistaken identity?

Neurosurgen's wife and family die in house fire day after man was murdered Mother and her three children found in an upstairs bedroom following fire Police have confirmed they are treating their deaths as murder Witness have described the scene as 'something from a horror movie' Officers are also investigating links to murder in the city hours earlier Police examining if the fire was a revenge attack for earlier murder Children's father is returning from Ireland where he is a neurosurgeon Neighbours and friends have paid tribute to 'spiritual and humble' family By James Rush PUBLISHED: 07:43 GMT, 13 September 2013 | UPDATED: 16:04 GMT, 13 September 2013 15 shares 64 View comments Neighbours of a mother and her three teenage children who were killed in a house fire fear the family were mistakenly targeted in a revenge attack for someone else. A mother was heard screaming 'Please save my children' moments before she was killed alongside them in a house fire early this morning. Shehnila Taufiq, 48, was heard screaming 'Please save my children' before she was killed alongside Zainab, 19, Bilal, 17, and Jamal Sattar, 15, in the fire that police confirmed was an arson attack. They are now investigating whether the fire in the Spinney Hills area of Leicester was a revenge attack for a murder of a man in a nearby street just a few hours earlier. Scroll down for video Neighbours have described hearing a mother screaming 'Please save my children' moments before she was killed alongside them in a house fire Neighbours have described hearing a mother screaming 'Please save my children' moments before she was killed alongside them in a house fire Police and firefighters were called to the building in the Spinney Hills area of the city at about 12.35am Police and firefighters were called to the building in the Spinney Hills area of the city at about 12.35am Several neighbours have now voiced their fears that the the attack was meant for somebody else. The children's father, neurosurgeon Dr Muhammad Taufiq Sattar, 52, is being looked after by people in the community after flying home from Dublin, Ireland, where he had been working. Tributes have also been paid to the 'well respected' family who have been described as 'spiritual, humble and learned'. A middle-aged man, who was woken by the sound of neighbours attempting to alert the family, said the heat of the fire was so intense it could be felt on the opposite pavement. More...Teenage girl charged with murder after newborn baby boy is choked to death British bomb-maker who was on the run with world's most wanted woman is SHOT DEAD in gun battle in Somalia The eyewitness, who asked not be named, also praised the bravery of two men who tried to make their way into the blazing property. 'I didn't know the family personally but I knew of them and they were a very nice family,' the man said. 'Most people feel this was meant for somebody else and they got the wrong house."' The neighbour added: 'The family were very well-educated. He was a brain surgeon in Ireland and he brought his family over here to study Islamic literature. Four die in fire police say may have been revenge attack A neighbour has described seeing 'flames shooting out of the back of the house' during the fire A neighbour has described seeing 'flames shooting out of the back of the house' during the fire 'The lads were very pious and one of them was memorising the Koran and was on the ninth chapter.' Today, Assistant Chief Constable Roger Bannister said Leicestershire Police have launched a murder inquiry over the blaze which was started at around 12.30am. A 20-year-old man, named locally as promising footballer Antoin Akpom, was attacked half a mile away from the scene of the fire. He was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary, following the assault at about 5.30pm, where he died. According to reports, the father-of-one was a former player and coach for Leicester Nirvana Football Club. Police carry out investigations in Kent Street, Leicester, where a man, named locally as Antion Akpom, was attacked Police carry out investigations in Kent Street, Leicester, where a man, named locally as Antion Akpom, was attacked A witness described how he saw the victim collapse in the street after a row involving more than a dozen young men. The man, who did not want to be identified, said: 'My attention was caught by a lot of shouting in the street just before 5.30pm. 'I then saw two young men run down Kent Street towards the A47. A group of up to 15 young men then started walking down Kent Street and turned into Sussex Street. 'It was when he turned his back on me that I saw that he had been stabbed just under the shoulder blade. 'The police arrived almost immediately and he went down onto the road. I did not know if he had been arrested because he was walking normally until he collapsed. It was then I saw a police officer, wearing latex gloves, trying to help him then I knew it was serious.' Police chiefs and community leaders, including local MP Keith Vaz, appealed for calm following the 'terrible crimes', and extra patrols were laid on to reassure worried locals. Mr Vaz, who visited the scene, said he had spoken with Dr Sattar after he flew back to the UK from Dublin. He said: 'I have just met with the father and he is understandably devastated. 'He is relying on his local community in this very difficult time. In his role as a distinguished doctor, he has done much for this country and helped so many people. 'He has been fortified by the love, prayers and devotion of all the people of Leicester. There is just one question - why?' Local MP Keith Vaz (pictured meeting residents near the scene of the fire) said he had spoken with Dr Sattar after he flew back to the UK from Dublin Local MP Keith Vaz (pictured meeting residents near the scene of the fire) said he had spoken with Dr Sattar after he flew back to the UK from Dublin Several hours earlier a 20-year-old man was attacked half a mile away from the scene of the fire in Wood Hill Several hours earlier a 20-year-old man was attacked half a mile away from the scene of the fire in Wood Hill Witnesses have described the desperate attempts to rescue the family who were found in an upstairs bedroom inside the £99,000 mid-terraced house. Student Mohammed Ali, 19, rushed out of his house on the street when he heard people screaming for help from the upstairs bedroom window. He said: 'I ran out of my house because I heard lots of people running and windows being smashed. 'People were throwing stones at the window to try and break them to help, but the smoke was so thick and just poured out, it was so think it was unreal. 'When I got there the fire service was there too, they had kicked the door down, I could see in the house. 'The way the house is built, the stairs are right at the door as your go in, I saw the stairs engulfed in flames, everyone was screaming, it was like something from a horror movie. 'All the windows were on fire, all of them, the smoke went everywhere, everyone was panicking and trying to help but they couldn't. A police cordon was placed around the burned-out property as white-suited forensics teams and fire investigators hunted for clues A police cordon was placed around the burned-out property as white-suited forensics teams and fire investigators hunted for clues 'The man there was a doctor, the kids were innocent, I didn't know their names but know they went to the Islamic school nearby.' Mr Ali said he used to say 'hi' to the family when he saw them in the morning. He said: 'It might be arson, but I really don't know. It is scary to think that, but personally I think it is someone who has got the wrong house. 'I don't see any reason for starting a fire in that house. It could have been anything, it could have been something like a wire exploding inside the house. 'It could have even started in the alleyway next door to them and got out of hand, but that isn't likely. 'It is just sad that people have died and you don't ever expect to see scenes like that last night, you just don't think this sort of thing happens on your street.' Another neighbour who did not want to be named said: 'It was pandemonium, there were lots of flames coming out of the bedroom window, no one would have survived something like that, they had no chance. 'I heard screaming, lots of screaming, I could hear a woman's voice shouting out "please help, save my children". It was horrific. There were lots of people outside the house, they were going mad, but they couldn't do anything. 'I don't know the people there but I do know the man of the house is a doctor. He is a brain surgeon who works in Northern Ireland I think, he travels there quite a lot. 'It is just horrible to think this has happened, especially if it is not an accident.' Police have said four people were found in upstairs bedrooms at the terraced house Police have said four people were found in upstairs bedrooms at the terraced house The scene in Wood Hill, Leicester, where a house fire has claimed the lives of four people Hashim Bahadur, 58, a businessman who works across the road from the gutted house, said: 'Police have closed everything down' Hashim Bahadur, 58, a businessman who works across the road from the gutted house, said: 'Police have closed everything down' Dr Taufiq Sattar is a consultant neurosurgeon who has been working in Beaumont Hospital in Dublin and with private hospitals in the city, the Blackrock and Hermitage clinics. 'The board and staff of Beaumont Hospital have learned, with shock, of the tragic loss suffered by our colleague Mr Taufiq Sattar,' a spokesman said. 'We wish to express our sincere condolences to Mr Sattar and assure him that our support and thoughts are with him at this terrible time.' Colleagues at Blackrock and the Hermitage also expressed their sympathy. A mother and three children Witnesses have described the desperate attempts to rescue the family who were found in an upstairs bedroom inside the house are understood to have been killed in the fire, according to reports Neighbours have described the family as 'pleasant people who never made a fuss'. Urging witnesses to get in touch, Mr Bannister said it was possible both offences, which he described as 'terrible, terrible crimes', were linked. He said officers were exploring different lines of inquiry but one included the fire potentially being a revenge attack. Mr Bannister said he was particularly keen to speak to witnesses who were in both locations. He said: 'These are obviously both very serious incidents and the investigations are in their very early stages to establish if there are any links between them.' He said the crimes might be linked because of the close locations and the space of time between them. He added: 'I can't confirm here and now it is a revenge attack - it may be, it may not be - but lines of inquiry will certainly get to the bottom of that.' Police have said they are 'unable to rule out' if the fire is linked to the murder of a man nearby several hours earlier Referring to neighbours talking about a 'fire bombing', Mr Bannister said: 'Fire bombing in my experience means different things to different people. 'We are working really closely with the fire brigade. Exactly how the fire started, where it started and of course who is responsible is something we will get to the bottom of.' The four victims were found dead in upstairs bedrooms. Neighbours spoke of flames shooting out of the house which was gutted in the blaze. The officer said neither the family nor the man who was killed were known to police. Officers at the scene in Leicester where a man was assaulted and later died in hospital. Police are investigating whether there are any links between the attack and the house fire several hours later Officers at the scene in Leicester where a man was assaulted and later died in hospital. Police are investigating whether there are any links between the attack and the house fire several hours later The force has drafted in extra officers and forensics staff to probe both crimes and increased patrols in the area. Police are working to trace a man who also lived in the property. Local bank manager Ali Vania, 44, who lives in Spinney Hills, said: 'I have known the family professionally and socially since they moved here seven or eight years ago. 'They are fantastic people, you could not find a finer family. They are so humble. They would not say boo to a goose. 'If they have been caught up in foul play, it must be a case of mistaken identity. They are not the sort of people to associate with anything unsavoury, not in a million years. 'If there has been foul play, it must be rooted out. There is no place for that in our community.' Among friends and neighbours who paid tribute at the scene was teacher Mohammed Qasim Manjra. Mr Manjra, who taught Jamal history at a nearby independent Islamic school, said: 'He was a very sociable kid and we are very sad that he has gone. It's a very big shock for the community.' Leicester-based Imam Ibrahim Mogra, the assistant secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, also visited the scene. He described the family as 'spiritual, humble and learned', adding they were 'well respected within the community'. He told reporters: 'Local people are devastated. It's hard to believe that such a tragedy could occur and four lives could be lost in a matter of minutes. 'I did not know them personally but from what people have told me they were a very religious family, very humble, very modest and very generous. A'The mother was a scholar herself and clearly they were a family that was into religion and education and were held in very high esteem by the local community.' Asked for his views on possible links between the fire and the murder committed in the city, Mr Mogra added: 'We just have to wait for the police to carry out their investigation and I just pray that there is no link between the two incidents.' The Jame Mosque and Jam'ah Uloomul Qur'an, which the children attended, released a statement following the tragedy. It read: 'The family were attendees of Jame Mosque, Ashfordby Street, Leicester, while Shehnila, Zainab and Bilal were also enrolled in our educational programmes at Jame'ah Uloomul Qur'an. 'The members of the mosque, the staff, and all of their colleagues are extremely shocked and are praying for them. 'We would also like to send out condolences to the father who as you can imagine would be going through a difficult time.' 'I can't confirm here and now it is a revenge attack - it may be, it may not be - but lines of inquiry will certainly get to the bottom of that' - Assistant Chief Constable Roger Bannister Shopkeeper Sattar Raidhan said: 'I knew the family well, they used to come in the shop. One of the boys came into the shop yesterday, he was laughing and joking. 'He came in to buy some crisps and chocolates and I'm still in shock at what has happened. I can still see his face, it is awful. 'The father is a surgeon in Ireland, Dublin, I believe. He comes every Friday to visit his family.' A Leicestershire Police spokesman said: 'Police were called at around 12.35 this morning by the fire service following a report of a fire at a house on Wood Hill, Leicester. 'On attendance it was reported that occupants were still inside the property and four people were found deceased in upstairs bedrooms. 'The fire, which caused extensive damage to the property, was extinguished by the fire service and the property has been cordoned off to allow for a full forensic examination. 'The circumstances and cause of the fire are currently under investigation and officers would ask anyone who has any information regarding the incident to please contact them. Neighbours watch on as the police and fire service investigate the scene of the blaze Neighbours watch on as the police and fire service investigate the scene of the blaze Police have said the 'circumstances and cause of the fire are currently under investigation' Police have said the 'circumstances and cause of the fire are currently under investigation' 'We are unable to rule out at this stage if this incident is linked to anything else we are investigating.' 'It looked very serious and I was worried the fire would spread because flames can spread through the roof of terraced houses. I'm sad about what happened but I didn't know the family myself. 'We are all different communities: I am Goan, I think the family with the fire were Muslims from the way they dressed, there are Hindus and there is a Jamaican lady - there is not much communication between all of us. 'We don't say more than hello to each other becasue we can't communicate because we are speaking different languages. 'I know most people who have been here for more than five years but I think the family had been here less than that.' Fire crews at the scene of a house fire in Leicester which claimed the lives of four people Fire crews at the scene of a house fire in Leicester which claimed the lives of four people A Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said three fire engines were called to the scene following reports of a fire. The number of fire engines was increased to five following an initial inspection. A fire service spokesman said: 'Six firefighters wearing breathing apparatus were deployed into the house to conduct searches while one hose reel and a main jet were used to bring the fire under control. Four fatalities were discovered in the property.' Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2419803/Leicester-house-Shehnila-Taufiq-3-children-Zainab-Bilal-Jamal-killed-possible-revenge-attack.html#ixzz2en3hlfzs Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook