Former student charged after crossbow shooting at Surrey University

Almunthir Daqamah, 21, charged with attempted murder as campus safety officer said to be in stable condition

A man accused of attempted murder after a member of staff at the University of Surrey was shot with a crossbow in Guildford has appeared in court.

Almunthir Daqamah, 21, is alleged to have shot Robert Tytler, a campus safety officer, after he told the former student to leave a student village on Thursday morning.

Tytler, who is in his 50s, remains in a stable condition in hospital after the attack, which happened at about 10am on Thursday.

Daqamah, of no fixed address, appeared at Guildford magistrates court on Friday and spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address.

The prosecutor, Lucy Lumsden, told the hearing that Daqamah was a Saudi national. She added that the bolt “thankfully and miraculously missed all his organs and bowel”.

“When police arrived, they searched the defendant who was also found to be in possession of a zombie-style knife and a lock knife,” the prosecutor alleged.

A quantity of marijuana was also allegedly found on the defendant, the court heard.

The court was told inquiries are under way to discover how long the defendant has been staying in the UK.

Daqamah has been charged with attempted murder, possession of an offensive weapon, two counts of possession of a bladed article and possession of class B drugs.

He has been remanded in custody and will appear at Guildford crown court on 9 July.

Hiya Biswas, 19, a first-year law student, described the campus safety officer as “very bubbly and smiley”. She told the Press Association that students were “very shaken” by what had happened and said it was “terrifying” it had happened so close and on the university campus.

Ch Supt Jon Groenen said: “We know how concerning this incident is, both for the university community and for local residents here in Guildford, and our officers are working at pace to establish the full circumstances of what occurred.

“We continue to work closely with the university and I would ask people to refrain from speculating online to preserve the integrity of the investigation. If you have any information that could assist our inquiries, please contact us directly.

“The victim is thankfully now in a stable condition. He remains in hospital and we continue to provide support to his family.”

A University of Surrey spokesperson said: “We have been informed that our colleague is now in a stable condition and our entire community is relieved to hear this news. We wish him a full and speedy recovery.

“We also want to take this opportun