A MAN and a teenager are being questioned by detectives about the death of a 30-year-old religious leader.

Father-of-six Ali Rehman was stabbed in the chest following a row in the Middlesbrough mosque, where he was appointed secretary only days ago.

He was later discovered dying at a house in Abingdon Road, Middlesbrough, near the Waterloo Road mosque, and died in Middlesbrough General Hospital.

Home Office pathologist Dr Nigel Cooper carried out a post- mortem examination on the body yesterday.

Cleveland Police yesterday confirmed they had launched a murder investigation.

The officer heading the inquiry, Superintendent Graham Strange, said: "The incident is believed to have been linked to a confrontation that took place at a local mosque earlier on Sunday evening.

"Following the attack in Abingdon Road, there was a large scale disturbance at a nearby shop, shortly afterwards."

Part time taxi driver Mr Rehman was studying computer engineering at Teesside University. He had a three-year-old child. The eldest of the his children is nine.

Mr Rehman lived with his family in Palmwood Road, Marton, Middlesbrough. Born in Pakistan, he had lived in Britain for 15 years.

Abdul Rasool, one of the leaders of the Asian community, said: "This is a very sad day. Ali was well respected and liked. He was a very well educated family man and it is a tragic loss of life. He played a big part in the mosque and will be greatly missed."

A 25-year-old man and a 17-year-old youth are being questioned by murder hunt detectives. Two 27-year-old men are being interviewed about the disturbance outside the shop