The leader of the notorious Tottenham Turks gang, linked to a drive-by shooting that critically injured a nine-year-old girl in Dalston, has been assassinated in Moldova. Izzet Eren, 41, was shot seven times while sitting outside a café in the capital city of Chisinau on Wednesday.
Eren, dressed in shorts, sliders, and a baseball cap, was killed instantly when three bullets from a gunman on an electric scooter struck him in the head. The attacker, who wore a helmet, quickly fled the scene.
British detectives are investigating whether Eren’s death is connected to the Dalston shooting on May 29, which left a young girl fighting for her life and injured three men, aged 26, 37, and 42. One of the male victims was reportedly a member of the rival Hackney Bombers gang, intensifying speculation of a gang war.
The long-standing feud between the Tottenham Turks and the Hackney Bombers has revolved around control of the lucrative heroin trade. Eren’s assassination raises fears of further violence and retaliation.
A Scotland Yard spokesperson stated, “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, who had been jailed for 21 years in 2015 for firearms offences in London, was transferred to a prison in Turkey in 2019. However, he absconded after a month and was later arrested in Moldova two years ago. He had been reportedly masterminding the gang’s operations in the UK while on the run.
The Dalston drive-by shooting, which targeted leading members of the Hackney Bombers clan, was believed to be part of this ongoing gang war. The incident has further fueled tensions between the rival groups.
In 2015, Jermaine Baker, a member of Eren’s gang, was shot dead by police outside Wood Green Crown Court during a failed prison break orchestrated by Eren. His cousin, Ozcan Eren, was jailed for attempting to free him.
Recent incidents indicate a resurgence in gang violence. Last year, Turkish DJ Mehmet Koray Alpergin and his girlfriend Gozde Dalbudak were tortured and killed, highlighting the brutal nature of these conflicts.
In Moldova, Chief Police Inspector Viorel Cernauteanu described the assassination as the work of a highly professional killer. The Interior Ministry confirmed that the victim had been on an Interpol wanted list for heroin trafficking.
Residents of Chisinau expressed shock over the incident, which is unprecedented in the typically peaceful city of 780,000.
With the investigation ongoing, authorities are working to uncover the full scope of the connections between the recent violence in London and the assassination in Moldova.
