Gang member facing life for murder after suburb attack
Somali gangster caught after leaving wallet at scene
A MAN who was part of a gang who gunned down a drug rival in a shoot-out in a leafy suburb has been convicted of murder.
Mohammed Ahmed fled to his native Somalia after the killing in Edinburgh but, unknown to him, he had left his wallet at the murder scene. He was arrested after returning to the UK last year.
At the High Court in Glasgow, Ahmed, who is also known as Jamal Saeed, was found guilty of killing Mohamed Abdi, 25, in Duddington Road West, Edinburgh, on May 26, 2013.
Mohamud Mohamud, 30, Cadil Huseen, 23, and Hussein Ali, 26, are already serving life sentences for the murder and will spend at least 25 years each behind bars before being eligible for parole.
A bank card belonging to Ahmed, 29, was also found in the roof lining of the Volkswagen Sharan driven by the killers.
The court heard that the killers and the victim were drug rivals and had a falling out.
Iain McSporran, prosecuting, said: “The Crown’s position is that there appears to have been an organised crime group consisting largely of Somalian males with London connections, operating in Glasgow and Edinburgh.”
They split into two rival factions shortly before the murder. Two days before the fatal shooting a message was sent saying: “The guns are coming out.”
On May 26, 2013, the Sharan with the killers on board chased the Ford Focus containing Mr Abdi and his associates through the streets of Edinburgh.
It ended with the Sharan crashing into fencing beside a tennis court.
Mr Abdi got out of the Focus and struck the rear of the Sharan with a baseball bat, and was shot with a sub-machine pistol from within the car
he court heard that five shots were discharged from the machine gun before it jammed. Three of them hit Mr Abdi – the fatal shot was through the chest.
He had denied being in Duddington, Edinburgh, on May 26, 2013. When asked where he was he said: “I would be home in London sleeping or watching TV. I was at home with my family.”
Asked if he was involved in the murder of Mr Abdi, he replied: “No. I’ve never been involved in criminal activities.”
Mr McSporran had said in court he had lied from start to finish.
Ahmed, who worked in a hotel in Mogadishu for 16 months before returning to the UK, said he decided to return to the UK to clear his name.
The court heard Ahmed lived in London Road, Glasgow, with his girlfriend and their daughter, but they had fallen out.
Despite this he claimed he had given his wallet to a friend on May 23, 2013 to take back to his flat in Glasgow. He said: “I like all my things to be neat. The Glasgow address was my correspondence address.”
Mr McSporran said: “The reason your wallet was there at the scene of a murder is because you dropped it. You were party to a murder and fled the scene and you are now concocting a preposterous lie.”
Ahmed replied: “No, sir. I’m an innocent guy.”
Ahmed showed no emotion as the jury announced their verdict.
Judge John Morris, QC, deferred sentence on Ahmed, a fir st offender, until next month for background reports.
After the verdict, Detective Superintendent Kenny Graham, of Police Scotland, said: “The murder of Mohamed Abdi was a brutal killing and those involved showed absolutely no regard for human life or the safety of others in the area.
“Such incidents are thankfully extremely rare in Scotland and it is completely incomprehensible why these men chose a quiet suburban area of the capital to carry out such a barbaric act.
“Our investigation has been extensive and involved specialised officers working with authorities from other countries as well as across the UK.”
‘‘ It is incomprehensible why these men chose a quiet suburban area of the capital to carry out such a barbaric act