Latest news with #Turkishgangs
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Police offer £15,000 reward for capture of gunman who left innocent nine-year-old girl with bullet lodged in her brain - as accomplice in Turkish gangland shooting is found guilty
A hired thug has been found guilty over a botched drive-by shooting that left a schoolgirl with a bullet lodged in her brain – but the gunman is still at large. The nine-year-old schoolgirl was eating ice cream when she was struck with the first of six bullets blasted into a Mediterranean restaurant in north London. The child became an innocent victim of a blood-soaked rivalry between two Turkish gangs in the capital and had to have her skull rebuilt with titanium. The bullet remains lodged in her brain and medics said she will have physical and cognitive difficulties for the rest of her life. Javon Riley, 33, was found guilty of attempting to murder three men who were the intended targets, as well as causing grievous harm with intent to the girl. He refused to surrender any information about the gunman, however, and Scotland Yard have offered a £15,000 reward for any intelligence that leads to his prosecution. The mother of the girl, who is too young to be named, said the shooter, who had been riding a stolen Ducati Monster motorcycle, had torn away the future she had imagined for her daughter. 'This was not just an accident — even if our daughter was not the intended target, those responsible were still attempting to take lives, It is brutal and inhumane,' she added. 'Now, weakness on her left side means she can only watch from the sidelines, living with a titanium plate in her skull and a bullet still in her brain. As parents, we are shattered — emotionally, physically, mentally, and financially. Each day brings new challenges, from her slower growth on one side to the emotional and mental scars that cannot be seen.' A CCTV image issued by Metropolitan Police of the motorcyclist wanted in connection with the shooting at the restaurant in Dalston, East London, in May 2024, who has never been traced Three men who were sitting at a nearby table in the Evin Restaurant were also struck in the hail of bullets on the evening of May 29 last year. Nasser Ali, 43, was shot in his backbone. Kenan Aydogdu, 45, was hit in the leg - and Mustafa Kiziltan, 35, was wounded in the thigh. The trio were members of the Hackney Turks gang and the assassination attempt was organised by their fierce rivals, the Tottenham Turks, who are locked in a bitter feud that has spread across Europe. Police believe the warring gangs are responsible for more than 20 murders in the past two decades. Detective inspector Ben Dalloway, of the Metropolitan Police, said the shooting was another example of 'tit-for-tat violent incidents' between the gangs. 'You'll have one member of one OCG [organised crime group] shot, stabbed, murdered, and then within months, sometimes even less, there will be retaliation,' he said. Indeed, the Tottenham Turks leader Izzet Eren was gunned down in Moldova, where he fled after escaping from prison in Turkey, just six weeks after the shooting in Dalston. And earlier this month, Erdal Ozmen, 45, a senior member of the Hackney Turks, was gunned down just half a mile away from the Evin Restaurant. Law enforcement sources said Ozmen's assassination was thought to be to avenge Eren's murder. The bloody war is understood to have been sparked after Hackney Turk capo Kemal Armagan was beaten up by Eren and his cousin Kemal Eren at the Manor Club snooker hall in north London in January 2009. The attack was followed by a series of revenge contract killings in the UK and beyond. Eren was jailed in London for 21 years in 2015 after being caught with a submachine gun on the way to murder a Hackney Turk. The same year, Jermaine Baker, 28, was shot dead by police outside Wood Green Crown Court as members of the Tottenham Turks tried to spring the gang leader from a prison van. Eren was moved to a Turkish jail in 2019 and escaped a month later, before he was shot in Moldova in July. And Dr Mahmut Cengiz, an adjunct faculty at the Department of Criminology, Law and Society of George Mason University, said the bloodshed was likely to continue and he expected a 'strong response' to the latest shootings, with senior members of both groups likely to be targeted. 'If you to kill a group leader, it means that you are the most powerful organisation,' he said. The Taliban's 2022 edict banning the cultivation of opium poppies used to make heroin was having a knock-on effect across Europe, with shortages meaning gangs were becoming more ferocious to maintain market share, he added. Riley, who admitted carrying out reconnaissance and picking up the gunman, had claimed he thought the job, for which he was promised about £40,000, would be a 'smash and grab' robbery. The Jamaican-born gangster has a string of convictions dating back to 2008 and will be sentenced on September 12.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Man guilty over gang shooting of girl, aged nine
A man has been found guilty over the shooting of a nine-year-old girl outside a restaurant in a long-running gang feud. The girl was hit in the head by one of six bullets fired by a man on a passing motorbike as she sat with her family in the Evin Restaurant in Kingsland High Street, Hackney, on May 29 last year. The young child was an innocent victim of a bloody rivalry between Turkish gangs of north London. Three men who were sitting at a nearby table were also struck and injured, the Old Bailey was told. On Monday, Javon Riley, 33, from Tottenham, north London, was found guilty of causing grievous harm with intent to the nine-year-old girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons. Riley was also found guilty of attempting to murder Mustafa Kiziltan, 35, Kenan Aydogdu, 45 and Nasser Ali, 44. The three men were said to be affiliated with the Hackney Turks organised crime gang, who had a rivalry with the Tottenham Turks, with whom Riley had links, the court heard. The court was told that Mr Aydogdu had been injured in a previous shooting. The gunman has not been caught, but jurors were told Riley had played a 'key role' before, during and after the shooting. He had carried out reconnaissance of the restaurant before the attack, scouted for potential targets and drove the gunman away in a stolen car, which was later burnt out. The Old Bailey jury deliberated for six hours and three minutes to convict Riley by a majority of 10 to two. Judge Mark Lucraft KC remanded Riley into custody to be sentenced on September 12. He told him to expect a lengthy prison sentence, saying: 'You have clearly taken part in a shooting which has led to four people being injured, one of them particularly seriously.' The nine-year-old girl spent three months in hospital and will suffer with life-long physical and cognitive problems as the bullet remains lodged in her brain. The three male victims received gunshot wounds to the arm, leg and thigh. In a statement, the girl's mother said: 'In a single moment, the future we had imagined for our daughter was torn away. 'She was once an energetic, adventurous child — everything that celebrated movement, energy, and life. 'Now, weakness on her left side means she can only watch from the sidelines, living with a titanium plate in her skull and a bullet still in her brain. 'As parents, we are shattered, emotionally, physically, mentally, and financially. 'Each day brings new challenges, from her slower growth on one side to the emotional and mental scars that cannot be seen. 'The world we once believed was safe for our child now feels frightening and uncertain. 'This was not just an accident — even if our daughter was not the intended target, those responsible were still attempting to take lives. 'It is brutal and inhumane. 'We live with this pain every day, knowing nothing will ever be the same for our family.' Detective Inspector Ben Dalloway, who led the investigation, said: 'Javon Riley's actions traumatically altered the trajectory of a little girl's life. While this outcome serves as a slither of justice, the dangerous individual responsible for pulling the trigger remains on our streets. 'Those who ordered this shooting are a highly sophisticated criminal organisation. We understand that people may be worried about talking to us because of this, but it is imperative we hear from anyone who can assist this investigation. 'Justice must be secured for this little girl and her family.' Scotland Yard has offered a reward of up to £15,000 for information that leads to the identification, arrest of and prosecution the man who fired the weapon. During the three-week trial, Riley was repeatedly asked to identify the 'third party' who had recruited him for around £40,000. He refused to name the man or help to identify the gunman, claiming he feared for his life at that of his family. He had admitted carrying out reconnaissance, spotting for targets and picking up the gunman, but claimed he thought it was going to be a 'smash and grab' robbery. He initially denied the gunman had said anything about what had happened when he picked him up. But later he admitted the man told him: 'Shots have been fired. I need to get out of here.' The court heard Jamaica-born Riley had a string of convictions dating back to 2008 including for possession of cannabis and cocaine, driving offences, and having an offensive weapon and a blade in his car. In his evidence, he admitted being involved with stealing cars, drug dealing and robberies, although he said he had never been caught for those offences. Riley's connection with the Tottenham Turks gang was revealed in covert police recordings in the months after the shooting. He was recorded talking about a man called Izzet Eren who was shot in Moldova on July 10 last year in what was believed to be a revenge attack.
The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Man guilty over gang shooting of girl, aged nine
A man has been found guilty over the shooting of a nine-year-old girl outside a restaurant in a long-running gang feud. The girl was hit in the head by one of six bullets fired by a man on a passing motorbike as she sat with her family in the Evin Restaurant in Kingsland High Street, Hackney, on May 29 last year. The young child was an innocent victim of a bloody rivalry between Turkish gangs of north London. Three men who were sitting at a nearby table were also struck and injured, the Old Bailey was told. On Monday, Javon Riley, 33, from Tottenham, north London, was found guilty of causing grievous harm with intent to the nine-year-old girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons. Riley was also found guilty of attempting to murder Mustafa Kiziltan, 35, Kenan Aydogdu, 45 and Nasser Ali, 44. The three men were said to be affiliated with the Hackney Turks organised crime gang, who had a rivalry with the Tottenham Turks, with whom Riley had links, the court heard. The court was told that Mr Aydogdu had been injured in a previous shooting. The gunman has not been caught, but jurors were told Riley had played a 'key role' before, during and after the shooting. He had carried out reconnaissance of the restaurant before the attack, scouted for potential targets and drove the gunman away in a stolen car, which was later burnt out. The Old Bailey jury deliberated for six hours and three minutes to convict Riley by a majority of 10 to two. Judge Mark Lucraft KC remanded Riley into custody to be sentenced on September 12. He told him to expect a lengthy prison sentence, saying: 'You have clearly taken part in a shooting which has led to four people being injured, one of them particularly seriously.'
