A teenager stabbed to death in what police believe to be a 'case of mistaken identity' in city centre has been named as Muhammad Hassam Ali.

The 17-year-old died from his injuries after the brutal attack in Victoria Square on Saturday January 20.

His family have released a photo of their beloved son as police hunt for his killer, after ruling out his death being 'gang-related'.

Detective Inspector Michelle Thurgood, from West Midlands Police homicide team, said: 'This is a tragic case of a young man being killed in what appears to be a case of mistaken identity. 

Muhammad Hassam Ali, 17, (pictured) died from his injuries. It is believed he was attacked in a case of mistaken identity

A large area of Victoria Square, right outside the city's council headquarters, was cordoned off

'We are still trying to establish the motive and are keen to speak to anyone who was in the area just before 3.30pm yesterday.'

West Midlands Police said the teenager was found with serious injuries on Saturday afternoon and was rushed to hopsital where he died.

Detectives are reviewing CCTV and carrying out further enquiries to establish who was responsible for Muhammad's death.

DI Thurgood continued: 'We are especially looking for any photos or video footage from the surrounding area which may help us identify those responsible.

'If you were walking through the area at the time, or a visitor who may have been taking pictures by The River statue near the Council House, we would like to hear from you as you may have vital information or evidence.'

Police added that after initial investigations took place, the cordon at the scene has been removed but officers will continue to be 'highly visible' in the area and no arrests have yet been made. 

One onlooker said they saw Muhammad 'lying on a bench' before emergency services arrived at the scene.

They said: 'We were filming a K-pop video and saw a man laying on the bench. The people were standing next to him and suddenly the police came running and a minute later the ambulance arrived.'

A woman who saw the police arrive told : 'We were by the fountain when we saw a man lying on the bench.

'The people were standing next to him and suddenly the police came running and a minute later the ambulance arrived. That was sometime between 15:00 and 15:30.

'The victim was still alive at that time. We hadn't heard any screaming or anything but then the police sealed off the area. That's when we were interviewed by the police about it.

'

Police added that after initial investigations took place, the cordon at the scene has been removed but officers will continue to be 'highly visible' in the area

West Midlands Police said the teenager was found with serious injuries at 15:30 and was taken to hospital, but tragically passed away

Chief Inspector James Spencer, from Birmingham Local Policing Area, said: 'The life of a 17-year-old boy has tragically been taken away and all our thoughts are with his family and friends at this awful time.

'It's very early stages in the investigation but we have a team of skilled detectives who are working to identify, and arrest, whoever did this.

'We fully understand the shock and concern this will cause, and although it is being treated as an isolated incident a visible police presence will remain across the city centre.'

'We're keen to hear from anyone who may have information which can assist our enquiries.'

Victoria Square was previously home to the travelling Knife Angel sculpture. The 27ft-high artwork was made of 100,000 knives which were collected as part of weapons amnesties by police forces across the UK.

Those with information can contact the police on Live Chat on their website, or by calling 101, and quote log 2619 of 20/1/24.