THE founder of a gang which was targeted in a drive-by shooting that left a nine-year-old girl in a critical condition was linked to a hit in Spain last month.
Hackney Bombers kingpin Abdullah Baybasin — whose mob once controlled 90 per cent of Britain’s heroin trade — was deported for drug and gun crimes.
The wheelchair-user gangster, 64, was seen in a Barcelona restaurant last month with German-Turk drug lord Tekin Kartal, 30, who was shot dead soon after leaving.
Members of the Baybasin clan went on social media to deny involvement.
Yet last Wednesday a leading figure in Baybasin’s old gang was the intended target of a shooting at a restaurant in Dalston, north east London, sparking fears it was a tit-for-tat revenge.
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He escaped unharmed but a stray bullet hit the girl.
Three men linked to the Hackney Bombers were injured.
They were aged 37, 42, and 44.
No arrests were made.
A source said: “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.”
It comes after the alleged target in the Dalston attack - Beytullah Gunduz - says he wishes he had been left fighting for life instead of the little girl.
Gunduz has been linked to the Turkish underworld and claims he was with pals outside Evin Bistro around 15 minutes before the shooting.
The schoolgirl - who remains in a critical condition - is understood to have moved to the UK from India with her parents two years ago.
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She is thought to have been visiting family in London from her home in Birmingham during the half-term holiday.
"If these people knew I was there why didn’t they wait until I left and walked around the corner?” Gunduz reportedly told a friend, who then spoke to The Times.
"We can be criminals but this girl was not. 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 added: "I wish it had been me. Maybe I deserve it. I have not been sleeping for four days. I have been praying for her and visiting the mosque."
Hopes have been raised after it was claimed yesterday the girl responded to her parent's voices and even squeezed her father's hand, reports MailOnline.
Gunduz returned to the scene after the shooting to find three of his friends with gunshot wounds and the girl on the floor after being struck in the head.
The incident has led to fears a bloody gang war between Tottenham Turks and rivals the Hackney Turks could be reignited.
Gunduz, 37, from Finsbury Park, was previously shot in the neck in a failed assassination ordered by the Tottenham thugs, he claims.
He believes the attack is linked to a previous attempt on his life in Clissfold Park, Newington, in August 2020.
The hit man shot him from a motorcycle before the gun jammed as he tried to fire again.
It comes after Dr Simon Harding, Director of the National Centre for Gangs Research Ltd told The Sun Hackney's streets are still being torn apart by gangs and organised crime groups whose reach extends across the planet.
That's despite the attempts to gentrify the borough, and it's more recent image as one of the UK's trendiest spots.
We can be criminals but this girl was not. 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.
Beytullah Gunduz
In relation to the recent shooting, police say a man on a motorbike fired at least four shots, and detectives believe it was a “targeted” attack requiring a “significant effort” to carry out.
Speaking in Hackney on Friday, Chief Superintendent James Conway said the bike, which has since been recovered, was a Ducati Monster with a white body, red chassis and red wheels.
The motorbike had been reported stolen from the Wembley area of London in 2021 and at the time of the shooting had the registration plate DP21 0XY.
Armed police raced to Kingsland High Street as shots rang out.
CCTV footage showed the moment the gunman pulled up outside the restaurant and opened fire.
Loud bangs can be heard before a man on foot appears to start running.
Witnesses have also told of screams echoing down the streets and hero bystanders jumping into action as people were gunned down.
