Family of attacked shopkeeper Asad Shah hail 'brilliant man'

The family of a shopkeeper who died after he was attacked outside his store say they have been left devastated by the loss of a "brilliant man".

Asad Shah, 40, was found injured outside his convenience store in the Shawlands area of Glasgow on Thursday.

A man from Bradford has been charged with his murder.

Following the attack police described the incident as ''religiously prejudiced'' and confirmed both men were Muslims.

A family statement released by police said: "On Thursday evening a beloved husband, son, brother and everyone's friend, Asad Shah, was taken away from us by an incomprehensible act. We are devastated by this loss.

"A person's religion, ethnicity, race, gender or socioeconomic background never mattered to Asad.

"He met everyone with the utmost kindness and respect because those are just some of the many common threads that exist across every faith in our world.

"He was a brilliant man, recognising that the differences between people are vastly outweighed by our similarities. And he didn't just talk about this, he lived it each and every day, in his beloved community of Shawlands and his country of Scotland."

Tanveer Ahmed, 32, appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Tuesday charged with murdering Mr Shah.

He made no plea or declaration and was remanded in custody pending a further court appearance.

The shopkeeper's death shocked members of the Shawlands community, who came together in their hundreds for a silent vigil on Friday.

An online fundraising campaign set up to support his family, who moved to Scotland from Pakistan in the 1990s, has raised more than £100,000.

The family said: "If there was to be any consolation from this needless tragedy, it came in the form of the spontaneous and deeply moving response by the good people of Shawlands, Glasgow and beyond.

"As a family, we would like to express our deepest gratitude to all who have organised and participated in the street vigils, online petitions and messages.

"You have moved us beyond words and helped us start healing sooner than we thought possible. You were Asad's family as much as we are and we will always remain with you.

"One of our brightest lights has been extinguished but our love for all mankind and hope for a better world in which we can all live in peace and harmony, as so emphatically embodied by Asad, will endure and prevail.

"Asad left us a tremendous gift and we must continue to honour that gift by loving and taking care of one another."