DETECTIVES hunting the killers of Glasgow teenager Kriss Donald now believe the shocking murder was more likely to have been motivated by criminality rather than racism.
Police sources have revealed that white men as well as Asians are on the list of suspects they are trying to trace in connection with the abduction and beating to death of the 15-year-old.
It has also emerged that a white man and an Asian man wer
e seeing running away from a silver Mercedes believed to have been used in the abduction shortly before it burst into flames.
In another crucial development, detectives have traced the young "Asian" woman, whose "relationship" with a friend of Kriss’s was widely assumed to have motivated the killing. After interviewing the woman - who is mixed race but not Asian - police are satisfied she is not a factor in the crime.
Kriss was snatched in Kernmure Street, Pollokshields, south Glasgow, on Monday, by a gang of five Asian men and driven off in a car. It is believed he was tortured for hours before being beaten to death and his body dumped in London Road.
Last night there were renewed appeals for calm between the white and ethnic communities as the leader of the British National Party, Nick Griffin, travelled to Glasgow for a visit to Pollokshields scheduled for today.
But Detective Superintendent Elliot McKenzie, who is leading the murder investigation, yesterday suggested the crime may not involve racism at all.
He said: "It is important I keep my mind open to all avenues. I will not say whether it is racially motivated or not, but we have found very interesting associations between white violent criminals and Asian violent criminals. They react favourably and have a mutual relationship."
McKenzie stressed that Kriss was not involved in gang feuds or racist incidents and did not have a criminal record. He added: "There is nothing to suggest Kriss deserved anything like this and there is no reason to suggest why these individuals were targeted. I’m not sure if it was mistaken identity. But I am more interested in criminality than racially motivated crime."
McKenzie also said he was certain that a silver C-Class Mercedes found burnt out in the west end Glasgow was the car the killers used to snatch Kriss. The car was found at 9.30pm on Wednesday in Granby Lane in the Hillhead area of Glasgow.
McKenzie said: "There would appear to be a small explosion and a white male and Asian male were seen running from the car. We have recovered from the car a number of items of forensic significance and I am confident this is the vehicle we are looking for."
McKenzie also refuted widespread claims that the killing was the target of a vendetta attack over a girl.
It has been suggested that the crime could have been connected with Jamie Wallace, the 19-year-old who was with Kriss but escaped the attack, and who was said to be having a relationship with a girl who also had an Asian boyfriend. McKenzie confirmed he had to spoken to the girl - who is said to be of mixed race but not Asian - and she was not in any way linked to the murder.
Police sources have disclosed that they have a list of around a dozen suspects they are trying to trace in connection with the killing, some of whom are believed to have fled to other UK cities or abroad.
Crucially, detectives say white men are on the list as well as Asians.
Meanwhile, on the streets of Pollokshields yesterday residents of all races insisted the murder would not be allowed to divide them.
Pharmacist Sumeara Rasool, 23, said: "Everybody around here is shocked and horrified at what has happened. We are all just hoping and praying whoever did this will be caught and punished severely. I do not know if it is racial but people here just want to get on with one another and live their lives. Whoever did this is just evil."
Waleed Shamki, 48, said if anything the community has grown stronger as a result of the tragedy.
He said: "The whole community has been affected. I do not think the community is divided. If anything it has grown stronger. Nobody wants violence.
"People here have always got on but, like any city, you’re always going to have your problems. This crime was not about race. The people who did this are just thugs."
Pamela McKinney, 45, and Derek Hampton, 48, said Nick Griffin would not be welcome if he went ahead with his tour of the area.
Griffin claims police are responsible for the killing by not dealing with issues of racial tension when they were raised at least two years ago.
McKinney said: "Everybody I have spoken to in the community is horrified by it and saddened. The BNP are just trying to stir up racial hatred."
Hampton said: "We all have a lot more in common than we don’t have. This is a lovely place to live. The BNP are not welcome here and they will not help matters."
Meanwhile, McKenzie said they still needed help from the public in cracking the case.
He added: "The level of information we have had is tremendous. But this isn’t an open or shut case. Kris was abducted at ten past three and the car was found burnt out five hours later at 8.17pm. That is why we would appeal for witnesses.
"He was walking down the street with his friend when a scuffle broke out and he was dragged into a vehicle.
"He was held down in the vehicle and would have been held against his will and taken to a remote part of Glasgow, murdered and left. It was a horrifying experience for a wee boy. We do not know the exact time of his death. The severity of his injuries were horrendous.
"These guys were brazen when they snatched Kris and there were eyewitnesses at the time of the event who would have seen this."
The full article contains 1048 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
