A man has described how he fought for his life as a ‘Islamic extremist’ stabbed him with a large kitchen knife as he slept in his bed.

Ahmed Ali Alid grabbed two knives before kicking his way into Javed Nouri’s bedroom before stabbing him in the chest days after watching the Hamas attack against Israelis.

The 45-year-old, an asylum seeker living in Hartlepool, had been reported to police and housing managers as his behaviour became increasingly concerning when he carried a knife in the shared property.

The Northern Echo: Ahmed Ali AlidAhmed Ali Alid (Image: PA)

Teesside Crown Court heard how Mr Nouri was stabbed six-times during the attack in the early hours of the morning.

Giving evidence via a pre-recorded police interview, he said Alid broke into his bedroom in the early hours of October 15 and immediately stabbed him near his heart and was shouting "Allahu Akbar" repeatedly.

“As he stabbed me near my heart, I didn’t feel any pain but I could see blood pouring out,” he said.

“It was dark but I could see the knife in his hand and I shouted – “What are you doing?”.

"It was a nightmare, I was sleepy, I did not know what was going on, I was frightened, it was dark and he kept shouting Allahu Akbar."

The Northern Echo: A blade recovered from the house on Wharton Terrace, Hartlepool, following Ahmed Ali Adil's arrestA blade recovered from the house on Wharton Terrace, Hartlepool, following Ahmed Ali Adil's arrest (Image: PA)

The Iranian said there was a long struggle between the pair and as he tried to escape Alid stabbed him in the thigh.

The witness said he was forced to put Alid in a headlock and scream for help from the other people living in the shared accommodation on Wharton Terrace, Hartlepool.

Asked to describe Alid, he said: "He was a crazy man, you didn't need to have a sixth sense of knowing much. He had a long beard and he would shave his moustache."

The 45-year-old defendant then targeted pensioner, Terence Carney, just minutes after he had attacked Mr Nouri, the jury had heard earlier in the trial.

Armed officers managed to track down the suspect as he wandered around Hartlepool town centre in the early hours of October 15 last year.

The Northern Echo: A still from CCTV footage shown to the jury in the trial of Ahmed Ali AdilA still from CCTV footage shown to the jury in the trial of Ahmed Ali Adil (Image: Counter Terrorism Policing North East)

Jurors have watched the harrowing moment as pensioner was stabbed to death by an Islamic fundamentalist angered by the Gaza conflict.

See more court stories from The Northern Echo by clicking here

Get more from The Northern Echo with a digital subscription. Click here

The Northern Echo:

The Judge, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb DBE, told the jury that the accused accepts the facts of the case but they will be asked to consider Alid’s state of mind at the times of the alleged offences.

A post-mortem examination established that Mr Carney had been stabbed six times in the chest, abdomen and back.

Alid, of Wharton Terrace, Hartlepool, denies he murdered the pensioner. He also denies the attempted murder of his housemate, and two charges of assaulting an emergency worker.

The trial continues.