Real Housewives of Cheshire star’s brother shot dead on Christmas Eve had ‘links to Swedish gangland underworld’
A REAL Housewives of Cheshire star’s brother who shot dead in front of his wife and young child on Christmas Eve had links to Sweden’s criminal networks, it has been revealed.
Swedish national Flamur ‘Alex’ Beqiri, 36, was sprayed with bullets after returning to his £1.5million London home from an family evening out on Tuesday.
The gunman fled the scene on foot after the slaying on Battersea Church Road, South West London, cops said.
Medics and a health worker neighbour battled to save Flamur, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Swedish media have reported that Flamur’s murder was “linked to criminal networks” in the country.
Flamur previously had close connections to major figures in Malmo’s underworld and was linked to a massive cannabis smuggling plot 12 years ago.
Flamur, who moved to the UK in 2016, met his wife Debora Krasniqi on Facebook and had a luxury wedding in October 2018 in Lake Como that was covered by Albanian news because local celebrities were in attendance.
Among the guests at the couple’s wedding were Naief Adawi, 33, and his doctor wife Karolin Hakim, 31, who was shot dead while holding their two-month-old baby on 26 August this year.
‘CRIMINAL LINKS’
Naief handed over the child to his wife when gunmen targeted him outside a falafel kiosk in Malmo’s affluent Ribersborg district.
After Naief fled, the assassin turned his gun in fury on Karolin and riddled her with bullets before finishing her off with a shot to the head as she lay dying on the pavement.
The murder of Karolin – who came from a law-abiding family and had trained as a doctor in Poland before moving to Sweden – provoked outrage and debate on the country’s mushrooming gangland culture.
In 2008, Karolin’s husband Naief was one of a gang of 20 men who stole 62million Danish Kroner – £7million in sterling – in one of Denmark’s biggest ever cash in transit robberies.
Naief was jailed for eight years, although most of the gang were never caught and almost all the stolen loot remains outstanding.
A source told The Sun: “Alex came to Britain, fell in love with Debora and tried to put his life in Malmo behind him.”
Police have launched a murder investigation in Flamur’s brutal death but no arrests have been made.
Flamur, who moved from Albania Sweden as a child, ran record label 2020rec and had previously shared a picture with his sister Real Housewives of Cheshire star Missé Beqiri on Facebook with the caption: “Brothers!”
Misse and her partner Towie star Jake Hall attended the wedding where she shared a touching video to her 239,000 followers of their first dance with the caption: “A magical love, congratulations to my best friend and my brother. I love you both to the moon and back. A true love story.”
Sun Online contacted 29-year-old Missé’s representatives for comment.
Neighbours have described the horrifying killing as an “execution”.
The victim becomes the 150th murder victim in the capital this year – the highest in more than a decade.
‘PROFESSIONAL HIT’
Neighbours described rushing to help the man after hearing a series of “incredibly loud bangs”.
One local resident told Sun Online that police said they believed the killing was a professional hit.
He said: “I asked the question to the police. They told me he was Albanian and he had been living there a couple of years.
“It cost £1.5 million plus whatever he spent on doing it up.
“I said: ‘Is it a professional hit?’ And he said: ‘It seems something like that.'”
Locals said the couple had two young children, including a newborn baby.
The couple are said to have carried out extensive renovations over the last year after moving into the townhouse.
‘LYING THERE SCREAMING’
A floral tribute left outside the house read: “To Debbie, thinking of you and your family at this difficult time. Lots of love.”
Another 44-year-old neighbour looked out of their kitchen window after hearing the gunshots on Christmas Eve, followed by the victim’s wife’s screams.
He told Sun Online: “She just gave birth really recently.
“He was shot on his doorstep. He was inside the railings on the patio.
“She was lying there and screaming. She was with her coat on, and something in her arms.
“He was still breathing. Some of the neighbours went there to try and help. Some nurses, and there was a doctor also trying to compress the wounds.
“He has been shot in the neck and the buttock. Someone said he was also shot in the stomach.
“One neighbour was holding his head talking to him, getting him to continue breathing.
“He was still alive when the ambulance arrived.
“They seemed a very nice couple. One thing that really got my attention is they bought this house about a year ago and they refurbished it for about a year.
“It was something treasured by them. When they moved in you could tell they wanted a beautiful home.”
‘FIVE GUNSHOTS’
Julian Stratton, 51, was at his parents’ home just metres from the scene at the time of the incident.
He said: “We are friends with a man who lives directly opposite the scene. He told us there was a knock at the victim’s door, which was answered.
“Then there were five gunshots. Four back-to-back, ‘bang, bang, bang, bang,’ then a pause before the final shot.
“The shots were heard by many neighbours, but being Christmas Eve, most people thought they were fireworks, at first.”
Detectives were seen removing evidence bags filled with belongings from the home today.
A Santa Claus decoration was hanging from one first floor window with the greetings ‘Merry Christmas’ and ‘Happy New Year’ sprayed on to a ground floor window.
Photos taken following the shooting appear to show the man’s body covered with a white blanket on the other side of the road from his house.
DCI Jamie Stevenson, of the Specialist Crime Command, said: “Our investigation is in the very early stages and we are still working to establish what the motive could be that has led to a man losing his life in such a horrific way, on Christmas Eve, in front of his family.
“They have been devastated by this horrible event and are being supported by specialist officers.
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“We know that the victim was returning home with his wife and young child following an evening out, when he was shot just yards from his home.
“The attack took place at 21:00hrs in the evening. Not only would many people have been out going about their business, but I am sure many residents would have been alarmed by the sound of the disturbance and gone to see what had happened.
“Did you see a person fleeing the area? Where did they go, and what did they look like? Had you noticed anyone loitering in the area beforehand?”