How unborn baby survived crossbow attack that killed his mother

A baby delivered after his mother was shot and killed with a crossbow at her east London home is in a stable condition in hospital, according to police.

Sana Muhammad, who was eight months’ pregnant, was attacked and killed in front of her five other children, aged between one and 17, and her husband at their house in Ilford on Monday.

The crossbow bolt hit her in the abdomen and reportedly missed the baby boy by inches, according to the Daily Mirror. He was delivered by emergency caesarean section before being transferred to a critical care unit.

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Scotland Yard last night confirmed that the baby, who has been named Ibrahim, was in a stable condition, the London Evening Standard reports.

His 35-year-old mother died of her wounds around three hours after the attack.

Her husband, Imtiaz, told the newspaper that he had found the attacker hiding in their garden shed and was chased into the house.

The 42-year-old building company director said: “I went to put a cardboard box in the shed. He was there with the crossbow loaded. He stared at me, he was going to shoot so I ran into the house. My wife was doing the washing up, I was shouting ‘run, run, run’.

“The kids were all there, it was horrific. The arrow went up into her heart but did not touch the unborn baby. They operated with the arrow still in because it would have been too dangerous to take out.

“She was a wonderful mother and wife. We were together seven years. I am heartbroken, we were inseparable.”

A 50-year-old man, Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo, of no fixed address, has been charged with the murder and is due to appear at the Old Bailey tomorrow, says the BBC. He is believed to be the victim’s former partner.

Detective Chief Inspector Gary Holmes, of the Metropolitan Police’s Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: “This is a tragic incident and our sympathies are with the loved ones and friends of the victim.

“I am appealing for any witnesses who were in the area of Applegarth Drive from the evening of Sunday 11 November to the morning of Monday 12 November to please contact us with any information they might have, however small. It could prove vital to our ongoing enquiry.”