The stabbing death of a man in Adelaide early on Anzac Day is linked to ongoing tensions between two gangs of young African men, police have revealed.
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A Victorian teenager has been charged with murder after a man was allegedly stabbed to death in Adelaide in the early hours of Anzac Day.
Officers were called to North Terrace just after 2am to find the 25-year-old Victorian lying on the road with multiple stab wounds to his chest. He died shortly afterwards.
Detectives arrested the 17-year-old Meadows Heights boy at Adelaide Airport on Monday evening as he tried to return to Victoria.
The teen was charged with murder, aggravated affray and travelling under a false name.
Another three Victorians, an 18-year-old man, a 21-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy, were also arrested at the airport and charged with offences including aggravated affray.
The stabbing is alleged to have followed a confrontation between up to 20 members of two gangs, one called 051 and the other KBS.
Detective Superintendent Des Bray said after the confrontation in a laneway, the victim was chased down by three men before being fatally stabbed and stomped on.
One of those men remains at large.
Supt Bray described the clash between the two groups as a knife fight and said it came after six gang members flew into Adelaide from both Sydney and Melbourne on Friday.
Detectives have seized a number of weapons including knives and are checking a large amount of CCTV footage.
"It's important that everybody remembers that these are violent young criminals, who on this occasion, happen to be African," Supt Bray said.
"These young criminals are not truly representative of the wider African community."
He urged other members of the African community to support the police investigation and for those with information to come forward.
As well as those detained at the airport, another 13 people were arrested on Monday for a range of offences, including weapons and assault charges.
Supt Bray said the investigation would be challenging considering the number of people involved.
He said the alleged offending was foolhardy behaviour in every respect.
"Everything they're doing is stupid. They're going to end up being arrested, they're going to end up going to prison and for what?"
Premier Peter Malinauskas said he was concerned about any escalation in gang violence and the government would support police in any way it could, in terms of legislation or resourcing.
"The events that occurred on the weekend have shocked us all because it was so graphic," he said.
"That it has come from interstate speaks to the fact that this isn't the sort of behaviour that we are accustomed to here in South Australia.
"It's certainly the sort of behaviour that we will never tolerate."
Australian Associated Press
