A 19-year-old suspected of playing a key role in the murder of a Birmingham teenager has been arrested in London after a two-month manhunt.

West Midlands Police said the man was being sought in connection with the fatal stabbing of Yahya Sharif in Small Heath last year.

Yahya, aged 18, from Nechells, Birmingham, was attacked by a group just before 5.30pm on December 10, suffered a stab wound to his chest and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The West Midlands force said in a statement: “In the early hours of yesterday morning (Wednesday) officers from the Met Police acting on intelligence arrested a man on our behalf (at) an address in Twickenham.

“He’s been detained on suspicion of murder and transported to a police station in the West Midlands for questioning.

“He’s the fifth person we’ve arrested in connection with the killing.”

Four teenagers: three aged 18 and a 19-year-old, have been charged with murder and are now in prison on remand awaiting trial.

Detective Inspector Hannah Whitehouse, of West Midlands Police, said: “This is a significant step forward in our inquiries: we suspect this man played a primary role in the murder of Yahya.

“Our inquiries continue but we are not actively looking for anyone else in connection with Yahya’s death.

“I’d like to thank Yahya’s family for their patience and support while our inquiries progressed. This has been a complex investigation to identify and trace the people we believe are responsible but I am pleased we can bring them this latest development.

“And I’d also like to thank members of the public who’ve also helped our investigations and provided us with important information.”

A second man, aged 18 from Birmingham, was also detained alongside the murder suspect on suspicion of possessing a knife.

In a statement released shortly after the killing, the family of the victim said: “We cannot believe that Yahya has disappeared from our eyes.

“We still don’t know the reason he was killed. A young, energetic 18-year-old, his dream was to be a digital marketing specialist.

“The whole community are shocked. May God be with the family he left behind, especially his parents.”