Portland stabbing: 'Hero' son died trying to stop racist attack on two Muslim girls

The mother of a man stabbed to death as he tried to stop a racist attack on two young Muslim girls on a train has called him a "hero".

Taliesin Myrddin Namkai Meche, 23, died along with Rick Best, 53, when the pair intervened as suspected white supremacist Jeremy Joseph Christian hurled abuse on a train in Portland in the US.

Paying tribute to him on Facebook, Mr Meche's mother wrote: "My dear baby boy passed on yesterday while protecting two young Muslim girls from a racist man on a train in Portland.

"He was a hero and will remain a hero on the other side of the veil. Shining bright star I love you forever."

A third man was also stabbed but his injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

Police have charged Christian, 35, with murder. He also faces hate crimes.

Loren Cannon, an FBI special agent, said it was "too early to say" whether the attack was "an act of domestic terrorism or a federal hate crime".

The girls, who had left the train before officers arrived, were later in contact with authorities, according to police, who have not released their identities.

A small makeshift memorial to the stabbing victims has developed outside the Hollywood Transit Centre where people left tributes to victims.