THE alleged target of a Hackney gangland shooting which left a nine-year-old girl fighting for her life says he wishes he had been hit by the bullet instead.
The unnamed schoolgirl was eating at Turkish restaurant Evin Bistro in Dalston, North East London, with her family before being gunned down on Wednesday evening.
Three other men, aged 26, 37 and 42, were injured when a gunman on a motorbike opened fire with a hail of bullets around 9.20pm.
No arrests have yet been made.
Beytullah Gunduz, who has been linked to the Turkish underworld, says he was with pals outside the eatery around 15 minutes before the shooting.
From tongue scraping to saying no, here are 12 health trends to try in 2023
He returned 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.
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
The schoolgirl - who remains in a critical condition - is understood to have moved to the UK from India with her parents two years ago.
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.
I'm a nutritionist - here's the 10 best diet trends to help lose weight in 2023
Gunduz 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.
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.
