Turkish gang members ordered to pay £100,000 after being convicted of plotting to murder man outside family’s London restaurant | World News

Members of a notorious north London gang have been convicted of plotting to murder a man who was shot dead outside his restaurant after his family refused to pay £100,000. Beytullah Gunduz, 39, was found guilty at the Old Bailey of conspiracy to murder Onur Guzel, who was shot dead outside the Umut 2000 Turkish restaurant in Dalston, east London, on June 20, 2024, Sky News reported.Prosecutors said the shooting was linked to a long-running feud between Hackney Turks, also known as the Bombacilar, and rival Tottenham Turks, which police believe has been responsible for more than 20 murders over the past two decades.The court heard that Guendouzi accused Guzel’s family of paying £100,000 to Tottenham gang members and demanded an equal amount. When the family refused, he planned the shooting, prosecutors said.Guzel, 38, was taking a break from get off work when a gunman shot Kia Niro, a white man who was passing by, in the abdomen. CCTV footage shown to jurors captured the attack and Guzel’s screams after he was hit.He survived but was seriously injured and now lives with an ostomy bag.The gunman, identified as Dogan Over, allegedly opened fire through the passenger window of his car before fleeing. Ofer is believed to have traveled to Istanbul after the Kia was set on fire shortly after the shooting.Jurors heard Guzel’s family and restaurant had previously been targeted in incidents related to gang warfare. His brother’s home was hit by gunfire in April 2024, and two days later a gunman fired five shots into the restaurant in the early morning hours.Gurzel told the court that Gunduz and an associate initially contacted the family after the earlier attack and offered help, later accusing his father of financially supporting a rival gang. Asked whether the family could pay the £100,000 demand, Guzel told the court: “We can come up with funds but why would we pay someone else money and for what reason?”The trial also heard that Ganduz had been the target of gang-related attacks before. In May 2024, gunmen opened fire outside a Dalston restaurant shortly after leaving the restaurant. Prosecutors said the attack was part of an ongoing feud between rival groups.Ganduz also survived another shooting in 2020, when he was shot in the neck by a motorcyclist.“This was a well-planned and ruthless attack in a busy public area that could easily have caused casualties,” Detective Inspector Iain Wallace of the Metropolitan Police said after the verdict, Sky News reported. He said Gunduz played a central role in organizing the shooting and showed “a complete disregard for the safety of the victims and the wider community”.Gunduz was remanded in custody and is expected to be sentenced on July 2.