Jay Slater ended up at distant Airbnb as a result of ‘associates had left him’
- Ayub Qassim invited Jay back to his rented cottage hours before he vanished
Jay Slater found himself at the remote Airbnb cottage at the centre of the mystery because as ‘all his friends left him‘, one of the British men who the missing teenager spent his final hours with claimed.
Ayub Qassim says he invited the apprentice bricklayer, 19, from Lancashire, back to his £40-a-night rented holiday cottage after a rave in Tenerife hours before he vanished on June 17.
The 31-year-old, who booked the Airbnb under the name Ayub Abdul, broke his silence last night, telling MailOnline: ‘He came to my Airbnb alive and he left my Airbnb alive.’
Yesterday, MailOnline exclusively revealed that Qassim was jailed nine years ago for being the mastermind behind a sophisticated operation to flood Wales with Class A drugs.
Spanish police searching for Jay spoken to Qassim and the unnamed friend known only as ‘Johnny Vegas‘ as part of their inquiries but concluded they were ‘irrelevant’ to the investigation.
Jay was last seen by a witness walking off in search of a bus stop close to the Airbnb at around 8am on Monday, June 17. He called a friend to say he was making the 11-hour walk back to his hotel in Playa de las Americas but has not been heard from since.
Today, former murder detective Peter Bleksley critcised Spanish police for ruling out some evidence too early, suggesting they may be afraid a proper investigation would hit tourism on the island.
Ayub Qassim invited Jay, 19, back to his rented holiday cottage after a rave in Tenerife and says: ‘He came to my Airbnb alive and he left my Airbnb alive’
Jay Slater, 19, went back to Qassim’s remote cottage – called Casa Abuela Tina – at 5am on the day he vanished
The £40-a-night Casa Abuela Tina holiday rental near the remote village of Masca where Jay spent his final hours before going missing
He told The Sun: ‘In the very early stages of the investigation the Guardia Civil almost dismissively said yes, we’ve spoken to the two men in the vehicle, and they are ”not relevant”.
He added: ‘I think the investigation has rather embarrassingly had to rewind itself to a certain degree by sending officers back to the Airbnb.
‘And there are still questions that are being raised that have not been answered in any way.’
Jay’s friends have denied leaving him, suggesting the youngster went off on his own.
The men stayed on the island for an extra day after Jay went missing to speak to police – although both have been described as ‘irrelevant’ to their investigation.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Qassim said: ‘The only comment I have to make is that Jay came to the house alive, and he left the house alive.
‘I let the geezer stay at mine because he had nowhere else to go, his friends had all left him.
‘I know Jay, through friends, I’m not going to bring someone back to mine if I don’t know them.
‘I’m doing the geezer a favour and now my face is all over the news. It’s a bit mental. I haven’t even done anything.’
Now Qassim is back at his family’s flat in Barking, east London.
In 2015 Qassim was the ringleader of a London-based crime gang who imported heroin and crack cocaine to Cardiff. When police raided a property there, they found drugs, cash, mobile phones and digital scales. Qassim was sentenced to nine years and nine months.
Qassim insisted he had had no argument with Jay and he had even given him a blanket to sleep in.
Qassim, 31, was jailed nine years ago for being the mastermind behind a sophisticated operation to flood Wales with Class A drugs
Qassim booked the Airbnb, which Jay went back to with him and another man, under the name Ayub Abdul
In its Airbnb listing Casa Abuela Tina is described as being a farmhouse within the ‘unique natural landscape’ surrounding it
The Airbnb owner said she later saw Jay walking uphill in the vast mountainous area
A Snapchat picture Jay sent to friends on the doorstep of the cottage at 7.30am, in which he was holding a cigarette
He added: ‘If I’d fallen out with him would he even come to mine?
‘There were no problems. You’ve seen the last images of him with his red blanket around him.
‘I don’t know if he had beef elsewhere because I don’t know him that well, I only know him through friends.’
Former detective turned TV sleuth Mark Williams-Thomas flew to Tenerife to help with the search – and said he wanted to speak to the two men who rented the apartment Jay last visited.
But Qassim said he had only spoken to authorities in Tenerife.
He said: ‘I’ve spoken to the Spanish police and they’ve told me not to speak to anyone which is why I’ve been quiet.
‘I’ve not spoken to Mark Williams-Thomas or anyone like him because he doesn’t have any jurisdiction in Tenerife, and I haven’t done anything wrong.’
Asked how well he knew Jay and what he thought of the conspiracy theories surrounding his disappearance, Qassim said: ‘Everyone knows each other. I’m not going to slander anyone.
‘He’s a cool guy, Jay. He ain’t got a problem with me, I haven’t got a problem with him or his mates. We just all talk to each other and everything was sweet.’
Jay went back to Qassim’s remote cottage – called Casa Abuela Tina – at 5am on the day he vanished on June 17.
TV detective Mark Williams-Thomas (pictured) issued an update on Wednesday, claiming he had been told Jay had stolen a £12,000 Rolex and was trying to sell it
Jay was on his first-ever friends holiday with Lucy Law (pictured) and Brad Hargreaves when he went missing in Tenerife
Brad Hargreaves (pictured) also said he spoke to Jay on the phone before he went missing
But he is known to have left the property at around 7.30am to catch a bus back towards his holiday apartment.
A witness said he asked her when the next bus was. When she told him the next one wasn’t until 10am, he is believed to have attempted to walk the 11 hours it would have taken him to get back to his holiday let.
The man and another who was travelling with him stayed an extra day after he vanished and spoke to police.
They gave the officers their details and fully cooperated with the investigation. Sources close to the inquiry have told MailOnline that the men are not relevant to Jay’s disappearance.
