The Metropolitan police have said they are trying to establish if two Londoners reported missing in Sweden are the two people whose bodies were found in a burned-out rental car in Malmö.
Juan Cifuentes, 33, and Farooq Abdulrazak, 37, from north London, were reported missing by their families after failing to return home on Sunday from a business trip to Denmark and Sweden.
Swedish police previously said that two people had been found dead in an industrial area of Malmö on Sunday. Detectives said the victims had been shot on Sunday, with the car then set on fire. Police said they were still working to identify the bodies and had interviewed several witnesses.
The Toyota Rav4 had been rented at Copenhagen airport by a British citizen before the driver and the passenger travelled across the Denmark-Sweden border and into Malmö, according to Swedish national newspaper Aftonbladet.
On Monday, the families of Cifuentes and Abdulrazak issued an “urgent” social media appeal for information about their whereabouts, writing: “Both men were on an overnight business trip to Denmark / Sweden and were expected to return to the UK at 6pm yesterday … but have not returned nor been contactable.
“If you have had any contact with Juan or Farooq over the past few days or know any information about their trip please immediately contact the people below to help with their investigation.”
The post went on to name relatives of the pair, who reportedly ran travel company Empire Holidays.
The Met said it was trying to establish if their disappearance was linked to the deaths in Malmö. “We continue to liaise with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to establish if the deaths of two men in Malmö, Sweden, are related to two men reported missing in north London on Monday, 15 July,” a spokesperson said.
On Thursday, Welwyn Garden City FC paid tribute to Cifuentes, who used to play for the team. A club spokesperson posted on X: “Everyone at the club is saddened and shocked by the news yesterday of the passing of Juan Cifuentes. Juan was part of our double-winning squad in 2014-15. A very good player and great person. We send our condolences to all his family, friends and ex-teammates. RIP Juan.”
Adam Fisher, Cifuentes’ former manager, added: “I’m absolutely devastated, upset, angry and more. This man was an absolute pleasure to manage … and someone that became a close friend, a brilliant teammate, a father and husband! My sincere condolences and thoughts to all his family – Fly high Juanito my friend and RIP.”
A Foreign Office spokesperson added: “We are supporting the families of two British men reported missing in Sweden and are in touch with the local authorities.”
Rickard Lundqvist, a spokesperson for the police in southern Sweden, said he could not comment on reports naming the two men in the British press.
“We cannot confirm the information which has come out in the British media and then been followed up by the Swedish media. But we are continuing to work on our murder investigation,” he said on Wednesday.
Lundqvist added that it was not yet possible to confirm the identities of the bodies found on Sunday. “The people have not yet been identified because we are still waiting for the results of the forensic medical investigation. Sometimes this can take time. As soon as we have new information we will release it, probably starting by contacting the relatives.”
Claes Ljung, the British consul in Malmö, added on Wednesday: “Somebody who was very, very concerned called me on Monday and reported that there was a relative missing and that the family was very, very concerned about it.”
A Swedish police spokesman said: “The two people who were found dead in a burnt-out car on Sunday afternoon have not yet been identified.
“The bodies are being examined by forensic medicine. The incident is currently being investigated as a murder.
“Several witnesses have been interviewed and the police are interested in further observations and tips. If you have information that could be of interest to the police, call +46 77-114 14 00.”
Kerstin Gossé, the acting spokesperson for the Malmö police, added: “I cannot confirm anything about the car, apart from the fact that it was a black Toyota Rav4, registered in Denmark.”
