It looks like a scene from a movie, but the story behind the image of Khayam Ali Khurshid being captured by armed officers in the streets of Amsterdam days after murdering Cole Kerssaw is a very real one.
Last Friday (May 21), three men were sentenced for the murder of Cole, a young boxer from Bury, after a comprehensive investigation by Greater Manchester Police which eventually spanned an ocean.
GMP’s Major Incident Team of fugitive finders crossed the English Channel to get their final man, after Mohammed Izaarh Khan handed himself in at Bury police station and gunman Kamran Mohammed was found close to home in Rochdale just days after the murder took place in August of last year.
The fatal shooting, which happened on Chesham Road, made headlines around the UK at the time, and in the days following, a large scale manhunt was already underway.
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Butterworth, Senior Investigating Officer, explains: “The Critical Wanted Unit completed numerous extensive and meticulous enquiries, including phone work around the location of Khurshid, before we got word from the border agency that he was on the Channel tunnel en route to France.
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GMP // Cole Kershaw, pictured above, was gunned down in Bury
“The unit were then able track him down as being in Amsterdam and we knew from financial transactions that he was planning to board a flight to Dubai, but he actually missed this flight as he didn’t have a COVID certificate.
“The work of the Dutch authorities continued before they tracked him to a nearby street and sent me a picture to check it was him; it was and then the next message I had was that they’d got him!”
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Following the dramatic detention by armed officers in the Dutch capital, it was then the job of the Force Extradition Unit to go to the Netherlands to arrest Khurshid and bring him back to the UK, where he would ultimately face justice for his actions.
The arrest was one of nearly 100 arrests made by GMP’s Critical Wanted team in 2020 – 48 of them being Greater Manchester’s most high-profile fugitives.
A further 46 arrests were made of suspects believed to be assisting those on the run and being involved in other serious crime such as drug supply and assault.
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DCI Butterworth added: “We couldn’t have brought every one of these men to justice had it not been the tireless work of the Critical Wanted Unit, and it’s a team that is vital in securing the arrests of the most serious of suspects we have in our region.
“Any investigation, particularly one as big as this one, is not just about one detective or one team – it is a big team effort from so many people across the force and the Force Critical Wanted Unit, for one, played a crucial role in this case.”
GMP // Kamran Mohammed, Mohammed Izaarh Khan and Khayam Ali Khurshid were jailed for life
Detective Inspector Simon Akker, head of GMP’s Force Critical Wanted Unit, said: “Once again our team have gained a brilliant result for all the painstaking hours of work that they put into ensuring that Greater Manchester’s most dangerous individuals are behind bars instead of on the streets.
“While a lot of our work is domestically alongside the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit and National Crime Agency, it is not uncommon for suspected criminals to flee the country in a bid to avoid facing the consequences of their crimes, but this case epitomises our dedication of going to whatever lengths possible to bring offenders to justice.
“Here we worked collaboratively with the Dutch authorities, and even now we are still liaising closely with them to catch today’s fugitives who, while they may be at large, should know that all of our international partners have the shared endeavour of ridding these people from our streets and we will do what we can in order to achieve this.”
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Over 350 hours of video footage, including 75 CCTV cameras, were meticulously viewed through the course of the investigation, and over 250 people were spoken to as part of the operation – codenamed Landseer.
Kamran Mohammed (28/03/2001), Mohammed Izaarh Khan (19/04/1999), and Khayam Ali Khurshid (20/03/1992) – all from Bury – were each sentenced to life on Friday 21 May 2021 after being found guilty of murder and possession of an offensive weapon with intent to endanger life.
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Salford City set to reverse kit colour following clear cut fan vote
Danny Jones
Salford City FC are set to make a historic change, or rather turn back time, as the Greater Manchester side looks set to change its main kit colour back to orange.
The Ammies are undergoing another big overhaul – the most significant since the ‘Class of 92’ bought the club back in 2014 – with supporters being invited to give their thoughts on the direction they want to see the club going in.
Currently sitting ninth in the third tier after making a positive start to the 2025/26 campaign, Salford City have been met not only with fresh investment in recent months but a fresh push for change from the ground up.
Including, as it turns out, the kit colour. After genuine calls to reverse the kit colour from the fans, the Salford board took a fan poll, with over three-quarters of all those who took part voting to return the City jersey to orange.
As you can see, 77.1% of Ammies confirmed that they were in favour of bringing back the predominantly orange and black shirt, shorts and socks; the switch is expected to happen before next season.
The League Two side has made it clear that promotion to the Championship is the big target over the next few years, and as the new consortium headed up by Gary Neville and David Beckham continues to try and transform the club once again, they’re looking to make big statements.
It doesn’t get much more foundational than restoring the orange shirts that Salford City wore for the best part of four decades prior to the initial takeover.
The decision itself comes after a thorough ‘heritage consultation’ process, where the older Neville brother and other key figures took supporter feedback into consideration, including the majority kit vote.
In terms of announcing the change, they’ve had plenty of fun revealing the outcome on social media, too.
Sharing a full statement on the club website, SCFC went on to detail that there is “significant work to be undertaken at the Peninsula Stadium to update cladding and seats, amongst other infrastructure upgrades that are already due to take place.”
Hoping to combine their “tangerine heritage with modern style to create a striking orange identity”, the overall brand aim is now simpler than ever: “when you see orange, you will know what it means. This is Salford. Proud. Unmistakable.”
Long-time supporter, Richard Kedzior – who also owns the recognisable orange and black flag that hangs in the west stand – said of the news: “I’m delighted that we’ve reverted back to orange, which over a 40-year period was the colour we were always associated with prior to the change to red.
“It’s a welcome return to tradition as well as giving us back our unique identity that will once again identify us all as proud supporters of Salford‘s premier football club.”
Before the reversal was fully confirmed, co-owner Neville discussed the potential change in a room full of passionate Salfordians.
Old Dead Tree fanzine committee member, Kev Wright, continued in the statement: “The orange kit represents Salford’s true identity. It sets us apart and reminds everyone that we are our own Club, not just a shadow of Manchester United.
“When we play in red, the comparisons are inevitable, and people can mistake us for something we’re not. Salford is different. It’s about local pride, about belonging to a community with its own history and its own future. Orange gives us a distinct voice and a colour we can call our own. It’s more than just a kit – it’s a statement that we are Salford, and proud!”
Signing off, fellow Ammie Deb Sculthorpe believes that this could be the ‘fresh start’ that the 85-year-old footballing outfit needs, adding that “timing is everything and now is the time.”
A further consultation is set to take place regarding the club crest, too, as some have also suggested reverting the modern logo to the old Salford Central-style badge, with more information to be shared as and when.
What do you make of the decision to swap the modern Salford red for Greater Manchester‘s second city classic orange strip, Ammies?
Police appeal for witnesses after motorcyclist dies in fatal M60 crash near Salford
Emily Sergeant
Police are appealing to the public for witnesses and footage after a crash on the M60 claimed the life of a motorcyclist.
The appeal comes after Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were called to reports of a road traffic collision between three cars and a motorbike between junctions 15 and 16 on the M60 on the clockwise carriageway, near Salford, at around 6.15pm this past Sunday (12 October 2025).
When officers arrived on the scene, they found that the rider of the motorbike, a man in his 60s, had sadly died after suffering fatal injuries.
The incident led to a partial closure of the M60, with the motorway needing to be shut for several hours after the collision.
Two of the three drivers involved in the fatal incident have now been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
Traffic is being held on the #M60 clockwise between J15 (#M61) and J16 (#Kearsley) due to a serious collision involving a car and motorbike.@gmpolice@NWAmbulance on scene.
— National Highways: North-West (@HighwaysNWEST) October 12, 2025
With the arrests made and the police investigation ongoing and proceeding at pace, GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit is now appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the incident to contact them.
They are also keen to speak to anyone who may dashcam footage from the area in the moments leading up to the crash.
Anyone with any information or footage from the incident is urged to contact GMP on 0161 856 4741, quoting log 2294 of 12/10/2025, or they can head online to use to ‘report’ tool or LiveChat function on GMP’s website – www.gmp.police.uk.
The Manc -
24th May 2021 
