Teenagers cleared of murdering 15-year-old boy in sword attack

Image source, Police Scotland Image caption, Amen Teklay died in Glasgow in March last year Published 6 July 2026, 12:11 BST Updated 35 minutes ago Two teenagers have been cleared of murdering a 15-year-old boy who was stabbed through the heart with a sword in Glasgow. Amen Teklay died after a confrontation involving the two boys, who were aged 14 and 15 at the time, in the St George's Cross area in March 2025. A jury at the High Court in Glasgow found them both not guilty. The boys are now aged 16 and 17 but cannot be named because of their age. The 16-year-old said both he and Amen had swords and claimed that he stabbed him in self-defence. The older teenager said he had been standing a distance away and did not attack Amen. There were emotional scenes in court as Amen's family and friends heard the verdict. The judge, Lord Colbeck, thanked the jury for their service before discharging them. Image source, PA Media Image caption, Police launched a major investigation after Amen's death The trial had heard that the incident followed a feud between Amen and the younger boy. It was said to have started in 2024 after Amen and some of his friends, allegedly armed with knives, stole cannabis from the 16-year-old and two other boys during a drug deal. That led to a series of clashes between Amen and the 16-year-old, some of which involved various weapons. A number of the incidents in the city were caught on CCTV and shown in court. One witness said the two boys were "at war". A string of messages said to have been sent between the 16-year-old and other youths were shown during the trial. In one message, sent two days before the incident, the 16-year-old said Amen had a "big shank nearly as big as mine". The court heard shank meant knife. There was further discussion that the group "ain't fighting small shanks". Image source, PA Media Image caption, A vigil was held in the days after Amen's death Another witness described a previous incident when a fight had been arranged. The witness said both Amen and the 16-year-old brought out their swords or machetes, but the fight was stopped when young children were seen in the area. Giving evidence in his defence, the 16-year-old told the court that he bought the weapon - a red bladed sword - online for £40 in January 2025. He was asked about social media videos taken before the fatal incident, where he was seen holding the blade. The teenager said he was "trying to build a persona" and added: "It was ridiculous, I was 14 - I didn't know. "I look back now and I was very stupid. I don't know why I did that stuff." But the court also heard that the 16-year-old regularly carried the weapon. On the night of Amen's death, he was with the 17-year-old and a group of friends at a football centre in Maryhill when one received a phone call saying that Amen had been seen in the area and was looking for some of them. Some of the group went home but the prosecution argued that the 16-year-old wanted to look for Amen. He had