Gangs may have planned Tube fight in which boy, 15, was stabbed to death

A 15-YEAR-OLD boy murdered in one of Britain's busiest railway stations during rush hour may have been killed during a pre-arranged fight, the detective leading the murder investigation said yesterday.

The teenager, from Acton in west London, suffered multiple stab wounds during a fracas at Victoria underground station, in central London, on Thursday. The boy, named in reports as Sofyen Ghailan, died in hospital.

Detective chief inspector John McFarlane, from the Metropolitan Police Service, said: "I believe this was a pre-planned fight. A number of individuals travelled by various bus routes to Victoria carrying weapons. However, I retain an open mind re motive at this stage."

He added: "We continue to appeal for witnesses to come forward and tell us what they saw on that Thursday night.

"The incident took place during a busy rush hour and I am appealing for anyone who was there to speak with us."

More than 2,300 people joined a group called RIP SOFYEN on social networking site Facebook.

One of them, George Jolley, wrote: "RIP Suf it has been a shock to everyone, u will be missed by ur friendz and family and hopefully those involved will get wat they deserve."

Detectives are holding 19 boys aged between 15 and 17 who are mainly from south London. A Scotland Yard spokesman said a number of weapons had been recovered and all are undergoing forensic examination. At least two knives were recovered from the scene of the attack.

A man in his thirties who was also arrested was later released.

Witnesses said a gang of attackers wearing school uniforms chased the victim from the busy station concourse into an underground ticket hall.

The boy, a pupil at the Henry Compton School in Fulham, west London, was then knifed repeatedly in the chest.

Police and paramedics went to his aid while colleagues began arresting suspects as they tried to jump on buses to escape. One line of inquiry is that the boy was the victim of gang rivalries between schools.

Meanwhile, friends last night paid tribute to another youth killed in a stabbing incident amid fears he had been caught up in a "turf war".

The youngster killed in the incident in Hackney, east London, was named locally as Godwin Lawson, a 17-year-old aspiring footballer.