Who is Farouk Abdulhak?
FAROUK Abdulhak is wanted by the Metropolitan Police in relation to the murder of Norwegian student Martine Vik Magnussen in 2008.
Here, we look at what he is suspected by police of committing, and what developments have been made in the case.
Who is Farouk Abdulhak?
Farouk Abdulhak is a former student at Regent’s Business School London.
He is accused of murdering Norwegian student Martine Vik Magnussen on March 14, 2008.
Abdulhak was seen on CCTV leaving Maddox nightclub in Mayfair with Martine, and getting into a taxi with her.
Martine was celebrating coming top of her class after receiving her exam results.
It is thought that there used to be a romantic relationship between the two of them.
Martine was found dead on March 16, 2008, in the basement of a block of flats in Great Portland Street, London.
Abdulhak lived in the building at the time but fled to Yemen via Egypt soon after.
Her body was partially covered by rubble and was missing items that she had worn the night before, including her earrings and shoes.
A post-mortem examination showed she had died from strangulation. It also revealed that she had been raped.
In March 2022, a woman in her 60s was arrested on the charge of assisting an offender, which was thought to be a breakthrough in the case.
Metropolitan Police encouraged Abdulhak to return to the UK to face questioning.
This is made difficult, however, as there is no extradition treaty between the UK and Yemen.
Who is Farouk’s father Shaher Abdulhak?
His father Shaher Abdulhak was a Yemeni businessman, known as the “King of sugar” in his home country.
Abdulhak founded the company Shaher Trading in 1963, which was involved in petroleum, soft drinks, tourism, and property.
He was known as one of the country’s wealthiest businessman, and held a lot of political influence in Yemen.
He was known to be camera-shy and rarely made public appearances.
The first image released of him was by a Norwegian news outlet in 2009.