LAHORE - A man being extradited from Pakistan to the UK will be charged with the murders of eight people after a 2002 fire in Huddersfield.
Shahid Mohammed will be formally charged with the murders of five children and three adults from the Chisthi family when he appears at Leeds Magistrates Court on Thursday.
In 2002 the family died in a house fire in Birkby, Huddersfield.
Mohammed, 36, has remained the only suspect to have not faced justice in connection with the crime.
He remained on the run until he was arrested in January 2015 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, in a joint operation between West Yorkshire Police, the NCA and the Pakistani authorities.
Huddersfield's most wanted man has been held in prison in Pakistan since.
He was being flown over to the UK on Wednesday to face the charges on Thursday.
Detective Superintendent Nick Wallen of the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team, said: "This is a significant development in our investigation.
"I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all agencies here in the UK and in Pakistan who have worked tirelessly and supported West Yorkshire Police to ensure that this process has run smoothly to extradite him.
"At the centre of this investigation is the Chisthi family, who lost eight members of their family during the fatal house fire and have shown such dignity since the tragedy occurred in 2002."
The suspect's extradition to the UK is only the second from Pakistan in more than 10 years.
The taxi driver dumped their bodies on a secluded road in 2011 and took a flight to Islamabad where he was detained in 2013.
He appealed against extradition to the UK but finally lost his appeal in 2016.
He was sentenced to a minimum term of 31 years.
File photo dated 06/07/02 of mourners grieving as eight hearses leave the street in Birkby, Huddersfield where eight members of the same family were killed in an arson attack.
File photo dated 13/05/02 of police outside the house in Osborne Road, in the Birkby area of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, where eight members of the same family were killed in a fire.
File photo dated 12/05/02 of firefighters outside the house in Osborne Road, in the Birkby area of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, where eight members of the same family were killed in a fire.
The writer is a staff member. He has been affiliated with Pakistan's leading English newspapers and worked as News Producer at FM 107.4. Death (as...he believes...life is a station, and death is a longest journey from seen to unseen world), Rain, and winter's Full Moon 'Jarray ki Chandani' always fascinate him too much.
Rupee exchange rate to US Dollar, Euro, Pound, Dirham, and Riyal - 18 April 2024
Pakistani currency continues to gain against US Dollar and other currencies on April 18, 2024. US dollar was being quoted at 277.2 for buying and 280.3 for selling.
Euro comes down to 293 for buying and 296 for selling while British Pound stands at 342.25 for buying, and 345.65 for selling.
UAE Dirham AED was at 75.25 and Saudi Riyal's new rates was at 73.30.
Today’s currency exchange rates in Pakistan - 18 April 2024
