Police want to talk to son of Arab billionaire over death of Martine Vik Magnussen
The son of an Arab billionaire is among a number of people police wish to question over the death of the Norwegian socialite Martine Vik Magnussen.
Farooq Abdulhak, 26, was living in a block of luxury apartments where Miss Magnussen’s body was discovered on Sunday. His father, Shaher Abdulhak, is one of the richest men in Yemen with a business empire including oil, tourism, soft drink bottling across the Middle East and northern Africa.
Miss Magnussen, 23, was last seen alive at 3am last Friday leaving the exclusive Maddox nightclub in London’s Mayfair with a man of Arabic appearance aged in his twenties. Her body was found on Sunday, hidden beneath rubble in the basement of the Seaford Court apartment block in Fitzrovia, Central London.
A postmortem examination last night showed she suffered significant injuries to her neck. Police are awaiting results of further tests to determine the exact cause of death.
An anonymous source told NTB, the Norwegian news agency, that the victim and her friends used to go out with rich Arab men in London. The men were regulars at Maddox, which has attracted celebrities such as Madonna, Keira Knightley and P Diddy since it opened last year.
Detective Chief Inspector Jessica Wadsworth, who is leading the investigation, said: “She was a very popular young woman with lots of friends and had a vibrant personality. We are keen to retrace her final movements and would appeal to anyone who was with her that night, or has any information, to assist the inquiry.
Detectives believe that Mr Abdulhak left the country at the weekend and could now be in Yemen, which does not have an extradition treaty with Britain. Mr Abdulhak’s father could not be contacted for comment.
A spokesman for the Embassy of the Republic of Yemen in London said: “We have not received any communication from the police. As far as I know there is no extradition treaty between Yemen and the British Government. Shaher Abdulhak is a fairly well-known businessman.”
Ms Vik Magnussen move