Leicester fire deaths: Murder probe starts after family killed

 
The family lived in Wood Hill, Leicester

 Police have launched a murder investigation after a mother and her three children were killed in a house fire in Leicester.

Detectives are investigating the possibility that the fire was linked to the murder of a man on Thursday.
The family's mosque said the mother who died was Shehnila Taufiq, her daughter was Zainab Taufiq, and her sons were Jamal Taufiq and Bilal Taufiq.
They were found dead in upstairs bedrooms at their house in Wood Hill.
The children's father, Dr Muhammad Taufiq Al Sattar, worked as a neurosurgeon at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, and neighbours said the family had recently moved to Leicester.
Assistant Chief Constable Roger Bannister said Leicestershire Police was examining the possibility of the blaze being a revenge attack.
He said the murdered man was "in his 20s and lived locally".
He was assaulted in Kent Street, less than a mile away from the scene of the fire, at about 17:30.
"These are obviously both very serious incidents and investigations have begun to establish if there are any links between them," said Mr Bannister.
"I understand the level of concern there may be in the city and would ask things not to escalate.
"I invite people, that if they have any concerns, to speak to the officers at the scene or call the police."

Local shop owner Sattar Raidhan, who knew the family, said he was "hurt" by the news of the fire

Emergency services were called to the fire at about 00:35 BST.
Mr Bannister said the mother who died in the fire was thought to be in her late 40s, her daughter was 19, and her two sons were 17 and 15.
Neighbours said the family worshipped at the nearby mosque. They said the father was away in Ireland at the time of the fire.
Zeeshan Bawany, a family friend, said the father "couldn't believe what was being said to him" when he was told what had happened.
Mr Bawany said he was asked by the family to go to the house and check it was true.
A statement from Beaumont Hospital said: "The board and staff of Beaumont Hospital have learned, with shock, of the tragic loss suffered by our colleague Mr Taufiq Sattar.
"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."
'Family wiped out' Labour MP Keith Vaz, who represents Leicester East, met community members near the police cordon sealing off Wood Hill.
"The father is a doctor and is being comforted by members of the community - a community who are clearly in grief," Mr Vaz said.
"A whole family wiped out in this way, with only the father remaining, is a big shock and a real tragedy."
Leicester mayor Peter Soulsby said he had been briefed about the murder in Kent Street and described it as "a stabbing".
A post-mortem examination on the murdered man is due to take place later.
BBC Radio Leicester's Kamlesh Purohit was in the area shortly after the assault and saw a man lying on the floor.
"What I saw right next to my car was a car parked in the middle of the street and just in front of the car was a man lying on the floor," he said.
"He appeared to be of West Indian origin and at that stage I thought perhaps there had been a car accident."