Two British travel agents feared to have been found shot dead in a burnt-out rental car in Sweden are pictured for the first time.
Business partners and best friends Farooq Abdulrazaq, 37, and Juan Cifuentes, 33, had travelled for an overnight business trip to Denmark on 14 July to promote their agency Empire Holidays.
Family members reported the pair missing after they failed to get on their return flight to London. Two men were found dead on Sunday afternoon in the city of Malmo, inside a rented Toyota Rav 4 left in the Fosie industrial area, but they have not yet been formally identified by authorities.
A close friend told The Independent he feared it may have been a targeted attack, but did not believe the business partners would have got into trouble in Sweden.
He said: “They travelled from Denmark and had no problems. They crossed the border and were shot at in the forest, either [because] they had money on them and were in a nice car. They were shot at first so an altercation must have happened before.
“Farooq helped out so much with charities, he had absolutely nothing to do with drugs or gangs.”
The friend said they were very close “like Tom and Jerry”, the popular children’s cartoon of a cat and mouse.
He added: “You have your best mate – sometimes you fall out, but they always stuck together. They managed to mix business and friendship and make it work. They were trying to promote their business by going into new areas, looking for hotspots and posting online to get people to come in.
“I spoke to Farooq a month ago – he was bubbly and friendly at the mosque. He always attended prayers on time.
“Farooq was an outstanding member of the community and one of the best guys I have ever met. He was a great character and really community-minded. He didn’t have children but was married. I’m not worried about him because he always gave to charity. I’ve been so upset.”
The pair ran a travel agency called Empire Holidays together and had posted pictures of them posing in the sea in Mexico and Colombia in recent months.
Mr Cifuentes used to play lower-league football for Welwyn Garden City.
Swedish outlet TV4 claimed their bodies were burned so badly they needed to be identified with dental records.
One post shared on Instagram appealed to people who may have seen them to get in contact.
It read: “Juan Cifuentes and Farooq Abdulrazak have been missing since yesterday afternoon.
“Both men were on an overnight business trip to Denmark/Sweden and were expected to return to the UK at 6pm on July 15.
“But they have not returned nor been contactable.”
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: “We are supporting the families of two British men reported missing in Sweden and are in touch with the local authorities.”
A spokesperson from the Swedish police said: “The two people who were found dead in a burnt-out car on Sunday afternoon have not yet been identified.
“The bodies are being examined by forensic medicine. The incident is currently being investigated as a murder.
“Several witnesses have been interviewed and the police are interested in further observations and tips. If you have information that could be of interest to the police, call +46 77-114 14 00.”