The leader of a gang suspected of being behind the Dalston drive-by shooting that left a nine-year-old girl fighting for her life has been assassinated in Moldova, it has emerged.
Izzet Eren, the boss of London’s notorious Tottenham Turks gang, was shot seven times as he sat outside a café wearing shorts, sliders and a baseball cap in the capital, Chisinaua, on Wednesday.
It’s understood that the 41-year-old was killed instantly after three bullets fired from a gunman riding by on an electric scooter struck him in the head. The attacker, wearing a helmet, then fled the scene.
British detectives are said to be investigating whether the gang leader’s death is related to the shooting in Dalston, north east London, on May 29, The Mirror reports.
An investigation was launched after a young girl was shot in the head and critically injured, while three men, aged 26, 37 and 42, were also struck by bullets.
One of the targets was a member of the rival Hackney Bombers gang, who had previously been shot in the neck by an apparent Tottenham Turks member.
Izzet Eren (pictured), the boss of the Tottenham Turks gang, was shot seven times as he sat outside a cafe wearing shorts, sliders and a baseball cap
Police and forensics are pictured at the scene of the Dalston drive-by shooting on May 30
The shooter has still not been tracked down by detectives. It is believed the shooting was part of a gang war
The two gangs have been involved in a long running feud amid a fight for control over the lucrative heroin trade.
In the most recent update last month, Scotland Yard said the nine-year-old girl, who was having a meal with her family when she was shot, is still ‘critical but stable’. MailOnline has contacted the Met Police for an update.
The high-profile death of one a senior gang lord has sparked fears that more violence could erupt.
A source told The Mirror: ‘This is thought to connect to the shooting in Hackney. The concern is that it’s all going to kick off now with retaliation expected on the Hackney Bombers.’
A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: ‘The Metropolitan Police are aware of reports of the death of a 41-year-old man in the Moldovan capital Chisinau.
‘At this time the name of the man who died has not been officially confirmed by Moldovan authorities.’
Eren was jailed for 21 years in 2015 for firearms offences in London – but had been transferred to a prison in Turkey in 2019.
He was arrested in Moldova two years ago after absconding from the Turkish prison after just a month.
The shots that were fired towards a restaurant on Kingsland High Street, Hackney last week were reportedly aimed at leading members of the Hackney Bombacilar clan, who have been involved in a long running feud with their rivals, the Tottenham Turks for control of the UK’s heroin trade
Police forensic officers in Dalston, north east London, near to the scene of a shooting at Kingsland High Street, Hackney, on May 30
Met Commander Fiona Mallen said at the time that extradition proceedings were underway but he was reportedly later relased. It’s believed he has masterminded the gang’s operations in the UK while on the run.
In 2015, one of his gang members was shot dead by police outside Wood Green Crown Court, north London, during failed prison break.
Jermaine Baker, 28, was shot dead as armed officers swooped in. Eren had arranged for his gang to free him from the van.
His cousin Ozcan Eren, 32, was jailed for attempting to free his relative.
There have been lulls in the bloody violence, but it appeared to have been reignited again in late 2022.
Turkish DJ Mehmet Koray Alpergin, 43, and his girlfriend Gozde Dalbudak, 34, were tortured and killed in an empty wine bar on White Hart Lane close to Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium.
His body was dumped in Essex woodland while she spent two days locked in a toilet before being freed by her captors and given money for a taxi.
Two men were found guilty of his killing last December with the court told that ‘international organised crime’ was at the heart of the case.
CCTV captures moment the hitman on a stolen motorbike targets three men in Dalston
Shocking CCTV footage shows the moment a hitman on a stolen motorbike targets three men outside a Turkish restaurant
Forensic officers pictured outside Evin restaurant, where a horror drive-by shooting took place
Emergency services on the scene in Dalston, east London, after the shooting
In relation to the latest incident in Moldova, the Interior Ministry said an assailant aboard an electric scooter fired several shots at a man, who was sitting on a cafe terrace in Chisinau’s stylish Riscani district. The attacker escaped.
Chief police inspector Viorel Cernauteanu told national radio that the incident bore the hallmarks of a highly professional killer.
Police posted pictures online of footage from security cameras of the suspected assailant, wearing a protective helmet.
The Interior Ministry said the victim had featured on an Interpol wanted list on suspicion of trafficking heroin. His asylum application had been rejected, but legal proceedings had not yet been completed.
Residents said the incident was virtually unprecedented in Chisinau, a leafy and generally peaceful city of 780,000.