An investigation was launched into the murder committed with particular cruelty after a man of Turkish origin was shot dead on Wednesday at a terrace in Râșcani district of the capital city. The man who fired had his face covered and was riding an electric scooter. He fired four shots in the back and three shots in the head of the man on the terrace from a yet unidentified pistol. The victim died on the spot. The police have not yet announced the arrest of any suspect, IPN reports.

The Prosecutor General’s Office said that the victim is a 41-year-old man of Turkish origin. On May 26, 2022, he was detained on the territory of the Republic of Moldova after he was put on the wanted list by the British law enforcement authorities. He was then placed under arrest to be extradited. The British authorities were looking for him for serving a sentence of 21.5 years in jail for the possession of firearms and ammunition and other illegal acts. He was to be held criminally responsible for crimes related to illegal drug trafficking and also for leading a criminal organization, inciting to illicit drug trafficking and drug smuggling, preparation for the supply of a controlled drug and other facts related to falsification of documents.

In 2022-2023, the competent authorities of the Republic of Moldova received a total of four extradition requests from the United Kingdom, which were submitted to the court and are currently under examination.

A few days after his detention, the man submitted an asylum application to the General Inspectorate for Migration. In October 2022, the Inspectorate rejected the asylum application. This decision was challenged by the applicant and his lawyer through three administrative lawsuits. The decision on the merits of the case, namely the upholding of the Inspectorate’s decision, was taken only two years later, on July 3, 2024.

“The long delay in the examination of the asylum application, from the submission until now, has led to the impossibility of maintaining the person in custody and applying an alternative preventive measure, resulting from the fact that, on an extradition request, the Code of Criminal Procedure provides for the possibility of keeping under arrest for up to 180 days,” said the Prosecutor’s Office, noting that in May 2024, the Judicial Inspection rejected the Prosecutor General’s request as unfounded. This decision was appealed and no final solution has been provided yet.