A notorious Kurdish gangster has fled Turkey to avoid extradition on drug-trafficking charges, a Swedish prosecutor has told The National.
Rawa Majid, 39, known as the Kurdish Fox, had been living in Turkey, where his citizenship protected him from being extradited to Sweden, and was widely accused of playing a major part in gang violence.
Authorities had hoped Majid’s prosecution on forgery charges would result in his citizenship being revoked, allowing his return to Sweden.
But Henrik Soderman, who submitted the first extradition request to Turkey, has now confirmed that Majid, who leads the Foxtrot Network of criminals, is no longer in the country.
“We have received information from Turkey that he's not in Turkey anymore,” he told The National. “I have asked for his extradition from Turkey but they rejected that because he wasn’t there.”
Despite Majid's move, Mr Soderman said he was determined to bring the Kurdish Fox to justice. “We have been looking for him for about five years now, and we haven't found him yet. But hopefully time is on our side,” he said.
The prosecutor would not, however, be drawn on where he believes Majid might be now, only saying “I’m going to keep that within the investigation for now”.
Majid's parents are reportedly living in the city of Sulaymaniyah, in Iraqi Kurdistan, and a Swedish politician familiar with the gangster's activities said he is “100 per cent certain” that he is currently hiding out in the border area of Iraq and Iran.
Working for Iran
Majid has been accused of working for Iran by carrying out attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets, and targeting opponents of Tehran's regime, which has resulted in him and the Foxtrot Network being placed under sanctions by the US.
He is the subject of an Interpol Red Notice, which states he is also wanted on murder and attempted murder charges, as well as drugs offences.
Majid reportedly owns a $2.1 million mansion in the Turkish coastal resort of Marmaris and a luxury flat overlooking Istanbul’s business district. Mr Soderman confirmed reports that Majid uses the name Miran Othman in Turkey. The US Treasury also stated he uses the name as an alias.
Among his other brushes with the law in Turkey was his arrest in 2023 in connection with the discovery of $12,400 and 2,400 Turkish lira found on a park bench in Marmaris that the police were able to link to him.
According to the US Treasury, the Foxtrot Network is “one of the most notorious criminal gangs based in Sweden, and has conducted shootings, contract killings, assaults and other forms of violence”.
The syndicate has a presence in other European countries, say the Americans.
Majid was reportedly arrested in Iran in October 2023 but remains at large and is described as a “fugitive” by the US Treasury, which says he was born in Iran but could also be an Iraqi citizen.
Alireza Akhondi, a Swedish MP for the Centre Party, told The National he believes Majid is hiding in an area where he can control his trafficking operations.
“I'm 100 per cent sure that he's in the mountain region between Iraq and Iran, which is a centre for smuggling,” said Mr Akhondi, who was born in Iran and is now a fierce critic of the regime and the activities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“We know that he was in an Iranian prison but was released and is also under heavy protection from the IRGC, who are involved in drug smuggling,” he said.
Mr Akhondi said he hoped the Iraqi authorities can work with Sweden to ensure Majid is extradited. “I'm quite sure that Swedish authorities are looking out for him, in Iraq. The question is, how strong are the Iraqi authorities? Are they capable of dealing with this because the Turkish authorities have been unable to.”
Majid’s family settled in the Swedish city of Uppsala when he was a child and he became involved in crime while growing up. He was convicted at 19 of burglary and cigarette smuggling, before he moved on to drug dealing.
He was sentenced to eight years in prison in Sweden in 2010 for drug offences, including the handling of cocaine imported from the Netherlands. Soon after his release he moved to Iraq and then to Turkey.
Foxtrot or Rumba
Also allegedly used by Iran to target its opponents is Majid’s former criminal associate, Ismail Abdo, who leads the Rumba organisation. The rival gangs are wanted by authorities in Sweden on suspicion of ordering killings in a brutal turf war over the country's illegal drugs market.
The violence between them has shattered Sweden’s reputation as a peaceful country and has seen a spate of bomb attacks, with criminals’ families targeted.
Children are recruited by criminal groups to carry out attacks on rivals as under Swedish law no one can be convicted until they are 15, with lighter sentences likely for under-18s.
Majid has been accused of directing the killing of a gang rival in Sweden in 2023 and was later arrested by Iranian police near the Turkish border.
As part of their feud, one of Abdo’s gang members allegedly killed a member of Majid’s organisation last March in revenge for an attack carried out in a cafe in Istanbul.
The violence recently took a turn when gang members' families and loved ones also became targets. Abdo’s mother was shot dead in Uppsala in 2023, a killing Majid is suspected of ordering in retaliation for one of his own gang being attacked. Majid’s mother-in-law survived an attempt to kill her.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
The five pillars of Islam
AIDA%20RETURNS
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VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
Company%20profile
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Opening day UAE Premiership fixtures, Friday, September 22:
- Dubai Sports City Eagles v Dubai Exiles
- Dubai Hurricanes v Abu Dhabi Saracens
- Jebel Ali Dragons v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
The five pillars of Islam
SQUADS
Bangladesh (from): Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Mahmudullah Riyad, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim, Liton Das, Taijul Islam, Mosaddek Hossain, Nayeem Hasan, Mehedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadat Hossain, Abu Jayed
Afghanistan (from): Rashid Khan (capt), Ihsanullah Janat, Javid Ahmadi, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Ikram Alikhil, Mohammad Nabi, Qais Ahmad, Sayed Ahmad Shirzad, Yamin Ahmadzai, Zahir Khan Pakteen, Afsar Zazai, Shapoor Zadran
EA Sports FC 24
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Borussia Dortmund v Paderborn (11.30pm)
Saturday
Bayer Leverkusen v SC Freiburg (6.30pm)
Werder Bremen v Schalke (6.30pm)
Union Berlin v Borussia Monchengladbach (6.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Wolfsburg (6.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldof v Bayern Munich (6.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Cologne (9.30pm)
Sunday
Augsburg v Hertha Berlin (6.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Mainz (9pm)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
More from Neighbourhood Watch
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE Premiership
Results
Dubai Exiles 24-28 Jebel Ali Dragons
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 43-27 Dubai Hurricanes
Final
Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons, Friday, March 29, 5pm at The Sevens, Dubai
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs: 2018 Jeep Compass
Price, base: Dh100,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.4L four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 184bhp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 237Nm at 3,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.4L / 100km
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Kill%20Bill%20Volume%201
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What to watch out for:
Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof
The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
Team Angel Wolf Beach Blast takes place every Wednesday between 4:30pm and 5:30pm
FOOTBALL TEST
Team X 1 Team Y 0
Scorers
Red card
Man of the Match
Arabian Gulf Cup FINAL
Al Nasr 2
(Negredo 1, Tozo 50)
Shabab Al Ahli 1
(Jaber 13)