The father of the man who was killed in the Birmingham riots has told Asian and black communities to stay calm and let the law deal with the situation.
Tariq Jahan found his 21-year-old son, Haroon dying in the road – he was one of three Asian men knocked down and killed by a car while trying to defend their shops and properties from being looted.
Police arrested a black man who was allegedly driving the car, sparking fears of rising tensions and revenge attacks between the black and Asian communities.
But 45-year-old Tariq Jahan said: "Tensions are already high in the area. I don’t want the community to fall out. The community doesn’t need this, and my family doesn’t need this.
“I want to law to take its course; let the law deal with it.
“We’ve seen enough without other people taking the law into their hands.”
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Chief Constable of West Midlands Police Chris Sims backed up Jahan, saying: "Like everyone else in Birmingham, my concern now will be that that single incident doesn't lead to a much wider and more general level of distrust, and even worse, violence, between different communities," he said.
"At these difficult times, people across all our communities must trust the police to protect them.”
Car mechanic Jahan was killed along with his friends Shazad Ali, 30 and Abdul Masavir, 31, when a car mounted the kerb and smashed into them, killing them instantly.
