Mob boss of gang targeted in drive-by restaurant shooting in Dalston which left girl, nine, fighting for her life was 'linked to hit in Spain' weeks earlier

The kingpin of the gang targeted in a drive-by restaurant shooting which left a nine-year-old girl fighting for her life was linked to a hit in Spain just weeks earlier, it has emerged.

Three men with ties to the drugs gang 'Bombacilar' - also known as the Hackney Bombers - were injured in the shooting in Dalston, north east London, on May 29.

A young girl was caught in the hail of bullets, with one said to have lodged in her head, as she was out for dinner with her family at the Evin restaurant in Kingsland High Street.

It has now emerged that the founder of the Hackney Bombers, Abdullah Baybasin, was out at a Barcelona restaurant last month with German-Turk gangster Tekin Kartal, 30, who was shot dead shortly after leaving, The Sun reports.

Members of Baybasin's gang - who once controlled 90 per cent of the UK's heroin trade - denied they were involved on social media.

But a leading gangster in Baybasin's old mob was the intended target of the Dalston shooting, sparking fears it could have been a revenge hit.

A source told the newspaper: 'It's too early to say if the attack was directly linked to the Barcelona hit, but Kartal was an underworld figure with interests across Europe. 

'There is always a fallout, with people looking to exploit weakness in rival organisations. There's no doubt police will be looking into the wider context.'

Baybasin, who uses a wheelchair after being shot by a rival, was released from prison in Turkey in 2017. He was initially arrested in the UK in 2006 but acquitted four years later. 

Two months after returning to Turkey, he was arrested again, this time with his son over drug smuggling. He was released seven years ago.

Baybasin had taken over as the mob boss when his brother, Huseyin Baybasin - once known as Europe's Pablo Escobar - was jailed for life in the Netherlands on drug smuggling charges himself.

The target in Dalston escaped unharmed but a stray bullet left a nine-year-old girl in a critical condition.

The girl was shot just after 9pm. The shooter on a Ducati Monster motorbike pulled up and began firing at three men sitting outside, believed to be his targets.

The men of Turkish origin, aged 37, 42 and 44, were injured and the Birmingham-based girl, who was visiting family in London with her parents, was caught in the crossfire.

The real target of the shooting has said he wished he had been shot in the head instead of the little girl who is still desperately fighting for her life in hospital. 

Beytullah Gunduz, 37, who has links to the Turkish criminal world, attended the restaurant on May 29.

He left and returned 15 minutes later - only to find three of his friends with gunshot wounds and an innocent girl laying on the floor having been shot in the head. 

The attack led to concerns that a gang war between Tottenham Turks and their rivals, the Hackney Turks, will reignite.

Gunduz was previously the victim of a hit when he was shot in the neck by a Tottenham Turks assassin and has himself been cleared of organising another hit.

The Times reported Gunduz as telling a friend he is distraught the small child was hurt and dragged into the chaos.

He is reported as saying 'that little girl is an innocent person'. 'If these people knew I was there why didn't they wait until I left and walked around the corner?'

'We can be criminals but this girl wasn't, she didn't do anything wrong. It is killing me inside. The waiting to know if she is going to live is too much - I am heartbroken.'

He went on to say he hasn't slept in four days and has been praying for her.

The newspaper reported him as saying: 'I wish I was still sitting there and the bullet had gone in my head.'

He believes the horrifying incident is linked to the previous attempt on his life in 2020, when a gun jamming allowed him to escape. No one has been charged.

One of his friends who was present was discharged from hospital the day after the shooting.

Another called Mustafa Kiziltan, 37, who was jailed in 2019 for his involvement in an acid attack, was discharged on Friday.

The third, 42, is expected to remain in hospital for two weeks, according to The Times.

Five years before the attempted hit, Gunduz was cleared of murder after being accused of hiring an assassin a leading member of the Tottenham Turks.

But the gunman and the getaway driver were convicted of murder.

According to The Times, the little girl's grandmother has been told she is on a ventilator after doctors were unable to remove the bullet on the first attempt.

Describing the shooting at the time, one resident said: 'I don't know who [they were] targeting - but for a child to be hit? It's just horrendous.'

The man, who did not want to be named, added: 'I doubt anyone will give you their names - not when this could be gang violence.'

A diner who was at the Evin restaurant at the time of the alleged shooting told the Hackney Gazette how everyone dived under the tables during the 'chaos' and he used his coat to stop the bleeding on someone's leg.

'There was a big group having dinner in the rear,' he said. 'I couldn't get my usual table so got one close to the front window.

'The big group paid up and left and shortly afterwards that's when the loud bangs - which were obviously gunshots - happened.'

After everyone scrambled on to the floor, the man saw that someone was injured and he used his coat to stop the bleeding on a leg wound.

He continued: 'I'd say it was around 10 to 15 minutes when the emergency services arrived. Police first, then NHS staff. They were very efficient.'

A second resident, who also wished to remain anonymous, said: 'It's so awful. I live just down the road so it's really shocking to hear.

'I only found out when I walked up here this morning to get my hair cut. To hurt a kid? I mean it's messed up.

'It's the way the world is going these days and I worry if things will continue to get worse.'

Dave Evans told how he had walked passed the Evin Bistro just minutes before the violence erupted.

Mr Evans, 62, said: 'I was out last night walking my dog. I must have walked passed Evin five minutes before the shooting.

'I was down the road when I heard the noise. There were six shots. I knew they were gun shots immediately.'