Malmo: Two men found dead in burned-out car in Sweden confirmed to be missing British pair
Two men who were found dead in a burned-out car in Sweden in July have been confirmed to be British nationals, officials say.
Juan Cifuentes and Farooq Abdulrazak, travel agents from north London, were reported missing last month after failing to return home from a business trip to Denmark and Sweden.
The car was found in Malmo, with Swedish police reporting the victims were shot before their rented Toyota Rav4 was set on fire in an industrial area of the city in southern Sweden. The car was found at around 2pm local time on July 7.
According to Swedish national newspaper Aftonbladet, the car had been rented at Copenhagen airport by a British citizen before the driver and the passenger travelled across the Denmark-Sweden border and into the city of Malmo.
The men reportedly ran a travel company, Empire Holidays. A post on a Facebook page for Empire Holidays read: “It is very difficult to say this, but it is with a heavy heart that we inform you that the owner of Empire Holidays (Farooq) has sadly passed away.”
It added: “Please keep Farooq & Juan in your duas and may they reach the highest level of Jannah. Ameen.” The post assured customers that any holidays booked through the company were still active and would go ahead.
Football club Welwyn Garden City FC also paid tribute to Mr Cifuentes, who used to play for the team, calling him a “great person”. Posting on X, a club spokesperson said: “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 a great person. We send our condolences to all his family, friends and ex-teammates. RIP Juan.”