Afghan Veteran Hospitalised After Station Attack

A 39-year-old Afghan Special Forces veteran, Noor Aziz Ahmadzai, has been admitted to hospital with a severe head injury after an alleged attack at a railway station. The incident occurred last month while he was working as a security guard at Weymouth station, leading to his collapse and subsequent airlift to medical care.

Medical scans confirmed a bleed on the brain, though Ahmadzai has since regained consciousness. His recovery, however, is expected to be prolonged. British Transport Police (BTP) reported that two 17-year-old girls were detained in relation to the event but released pending further investigation.

“They said he had been involved in a serious incident and had a serious brain injury,” Georgia Morse, his former partner and mother to their two-year-old son, stated. “Whilst they were with me, they were getting updates saying he had a bleed on the brain. It was really worrying.”

Morse described the event as a “complete shock” and emphasized the distress of learning it happened at work. Ahmadzai, who served with the British military, had a notable career in Afghanistan. He completed officer training in the UK at Sandhurst and rose to deputy commander of a counter-terrorism unit, often facing suicide bombers directly.

His service included major operations like the 2018 Taliban siege of the Intercontinental Hotel and the 2020 attack on a Kabul maternity ward. After the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in 2021, Ahmadzai fled to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, leveraging his ties to the British forces. Despite his desire to join the UK armed forces, he has yet to apply due to citizenship requirements.

The BTP was alerted to the attack at 20:31 GMT on 26 March, following reports of a rail staff member being assaulted. Det Ch Insp Paul Atwell noted: “Our investigation into this extremely concerning incident is ongoing. Two teenage girls were arrested at the scene but have been released while we continue our inquiries.”

Atwell also expressed support for the affected staff member’s family, encouraging witnesses to come forward with information.