Police have appealed to the public to help find a suspected knifeman – but urged people not to approach him.

Jerejs Vankovs, 38, is being hunted after Michael Murphy, 49, was attacked and killed in Cranwood Street, Hackney, east London, in the early hours of Boxing Day.

A row between a group of up to 10 people happened in the run up to the stabbing, the Metropolitan Police said previously.

Vankovs and Mr Murphy were known to each other and had been living a “transient lifestyle” in the Shoreditch area, the force said.

Detective Chief Inspector Kelly Allen from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command is leading the investigation and said: “We have been working tirelessly to locate Jerejs Vankovs but have yet to find him.

“We are now asking for the public’s help to locate him.

“I would ask people in the Shoreditch and wider Hackney area to keep a lookout for him.

“If you see Vankovs, please do not approach him but call 999 immediately.”

Four people – two men, 49 and 42, and two women, 35 and 44 – have been released without charge after being arrested on suspicion of murder.

Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway, responsible for policing in Hackney and Tower Hamlets, said: “The support of the Hackney community is vital in assisting us to find Jerejs Vankovs.

“We continue to work closely with our local partners to track him down but I would urge anyone who sees Vankovs, or knows of his whereabouts, to get in contact immediately.”

Mr Murphy’s next of kin has been informed and continues to be supported by specially trained officers, the Met added.