Trump wades into Henry Nowak scandal as State Department slams 'two-tiered policing' in Keir Starmer's UK

By JON MICHAEL RAASCH, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT Published: 21:56, 4 June 2026 | Updated: 21:56, 4 June 2026 The Trump administration has broken its silence on the horrific murder of UK teen Henry Nowak.  Nowak, 18, was put in handcuffs by UK police while he lay mortally wounded on the ground after being stabbed in the southern city of Southampton in December.  Vickrum Digwa, 23, who stabbed Nowak with a ceremonial dagger, religiously mandated to be worn by all Sikh adult men, lied to police at the scene, claiming he was the victim of racism.  'Ideological conditioning and two-tiered policing are glaring symptoms of civilizational decline,' the State Department said in a statement on social media. 'They must be rejected across the West.' 'The United States sends our condolences to the family of Henry Nowak and the people of the United Kingdom at this troubling time.' It was the first time the Trump administration commented on the politically explosive case from across the pond.   A stomach-churning video of the police body cam footage incident was recently released, showing Nowak pleading with police that he had been stabbed. 'I don't think you have, mate,' one of the officers said as Nowak was being handcuffed.  Henry Nowak, 18, who was murdered by Vickrum Digwa, 23. The State Department slammed the UK's 'two-tiered policing system' in a statement released on Thursday. It is the first time the Trump administration has addressed the teen's murder Body camera footage from the scene shows police handcuffing Nowak as he bled out Digwa can also be seen in the footage standing above Nowak, who told the authorities that he had been stabbed and could not breathe  The 18-year-old could be heard telling authorities that he couldn't breathe during the incident, which some online have likened to the death of George Floyd.  A minute or so after handcuffing Nowak, the authorities realized the extent of his injuries and began to provide medical care.  On Monday, Digwa was sentenced to life in prison.   Nowak's family was invited to meet with Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday at 10 Downing Street. Starmer has accused Elon Musk of 'trying to whip up division' in Britain over the murder.  Musk has repeatedly posted about the tragedy in the past week.  'Send the video to everyone you know showing how heinously Nowak was treated by the police in his dying moments and how the police cravenly kowtowed to his murderer,' Musk wrote on Tuesday.  'Legacy mainstream media, same ones who wrote about George Floyd millions of times, are dead silent about Nowak.' Handout photo of Vickrum Digwa, who was sentenced to life in prison on June 1, 2026, over the killing of Henry Nowak The ceremonial Sikh knife used on Henry by Digwa. Conservative figures in the UK argue that the murder is proof that police in Britain treat white people and ethnic minorities differently. The State Department's statement, citing the country's 'two-tiered policing,' falls in line with those domestic criticisms.   Protests have erupted in the UK over the murder, with hordes of activists taking to the streets demanding justice for Nowak.  Police in riot gear have cracked down on the activists No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.