25-year-old Algerian national Fouad Boudra has been charged with double murder nearly two years after two men died in a ‘deliberate’ house fire

A man has been charged with double murder nearly two years after two men died in what police say was a deliberately started fire at a squatted house in Walthamstow.

The blaze broke out at around 10.24pm on 21st April 2024 in a two‑storey terraced home on Forest Road, directly opposite Waltham Forest Town Hall.

The victims, later identified as Mohammed Djellal, 24, and Faouzi Bouchadoe, 35, were found dead inside.

Last year, Metropolitan Police detectives authorised murder charges against Fouad Boudra, a 25‑year‑old Algerian national.

An international arrest warrant was issued and Boudra was arrested in France on 26th January before being extradited to the UK last week.

He appeared at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on Saturday 4th April, charged with two counts of murder, two counts of manslaughter, causing grievous bodily harm with intent to a third man, and arson with intent to endanger life.

Speaking to the Echo, neighbour Geetha Rajananthakumar said how she initially thought smoke was coming from her own home before she saw the property, just three doors away, engulfed in flames.

A next-door neighbour said the smell of burnt flesh still hung in the air in the days following the fire.

40 firefighters and six engines battled the blaze for almost two hours before bringing it under control, but the property was left completely destroyed.

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