Arrest over two Britons found dead in car in Sweden

Farooq Abdulrazak and Juan CifuentesImage source, Metropolitan Police
Image caption,

Farooq Abdulrazak (left) and Juan Cifuentes were found dead in July

  • Published

Swedish authorities have arrested a person in connection with the deaths of two British men found in a burnt-out car in Malmö in July.

Prosecutors are holding the individual on suspicion of aiding and abetting murder.

Farooq Abdulrazak, 37, and Juan Cifuentes, 33, from north London, were found in the shell of a Toyota Rav 4 on 14 July.

Swedish police previously said both men had been shot before their car was set on fire.

The pair had been reported missing after they failed to return home from a business trip.

The Swedish Prosecution Authority said the investigation into the pair's deaths was ongoing in both Sweden and the UK.

Prosecutors believe Mr Abdulrazak and Mr Cifuentes rented the vehicle at an airport in Denmark hours before their bodies were discovered in the Fosie industrial area of Malmö.

The pair were business partners and owned a travel agency in north London.

Magnus Pettersson, the head of the preliminary investigation in Sweden, said prosecutors had until 1 September to decide whether or not the suspect could remain in custody.

The families of the two men said they were "sincerely devastated" to lose "two beautiful, innocent, hardworking souls".

Their deaths had "impacted our local community deeply", the families added.

Mr Abdulrazak's family described him as "a beautiful, selfless, humble soul" and "a huge pillar in our family and community".

Mr Cifuentes was "a pillar of strength and compassion", his family said.

"His legacy lives on in his children, who embody the love and values he instilled in them," they added.

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