A lead suspect wanted over the brutal double murder of two British travel agents in Sweden has died in Lebanon, prosecutors have confirmed.
The bodies of Juan Cifuentes, 33, and Farooq Abdulrazak, 37, were discovered in a burnt-out hire car on the outskirts of Malmö in July last year.
Swedish police said both men had been shot before the Toyota RAV4 was set on fire.
Detectives later identified a 26-year-old man from Malmö as the main suspect.
He is believed to have evaded authorities while investigations continued in both Sweden and the UK.
Following an international arrest request by Swedish prosecutors, it emerged that the suspect – a Swedish citizen – was in Lebanon, a country with which Sweden does not have an extradition agreement.
In October, reports surfaced suggesting the man had been injured in a gun attack.
Prosecutors said the Syrian passport he was carrying was reported missing and that he had been taken to hospital in Lebanon for treatment.
The bodies of Juan Cifuentes (right), 33, and Farooq Abdulrazak (left), 37, were discovered in a burnt-out hire car on the outskirts of Malmö in July last year.
Both were captured on CCTV footage at a car hire desk in Copenhagen airport hours before they went missing in July
Forensic teams at the scene upon discovery of the burnt-out car
He later died after contracting pneumonia.
Swedish authorities said they were unable to question the suspect before his death and confirmed that the investigation remains ongoing.
Prosecutors said the suspect had been involved in criminal activity since his teenage years and had previously been monitored by police.
Five other people have been arrested in connection with the case, though none are currently in custody or subject to travel restrictions.
Magnus Pettersson, the lead prosecutor, said he had cancelled a formal request for the suspect’s arrest and extradition following confirmation of his death.
‘This is a murder investigation.
It does not mean the case will be closed here and now,’ he said.
‘The police and I will discuss how the investigation should proceed.’
The Metropolitan Police said any updates regarding arrests or the status of the investigation would come from Swedish authorities, who retain primacy over the case.
