A criminal involved in a shooting incident that resulted in a young girl sustaining a bullet wound to her brain has been found guilty of planning a murder. Beytullah Gunduz, aged 39, was convicted of conspiring to kill Onur Guzel, aged 38, who was fatally shot outside his family-owned restaurant in Dalston, east London, last June.
The attack on Mr. Guzel took place amidst a violent feud between the Hackney Bombers and the Tottenham Turks, which has led to numerous gun-related deaths over the past 16 years. Gunduz had previously been acquitted of orchestrating the killing of former Tottenham Turks leader Zafer Eren in 2013.
Following a trial at the Old Bailey, Gunduz was pronounced guilty of conspiracy to commit murder after the jury deliberated for over 16 hours. Mr. Guzel recounted that during the incident, he was conversing with his wife over the phone while on a work break when he heard a loud noise. He described feeling numb and realizing something was amiss when he noticed blood on his lower abdomen.
Upon the shooting, bystanders from the restaurant rushed to assist, and police officers provided immediate medical aid before Mr. Guzel was transported to the Royal London Hospital for treatment. The sentencing for Gunduz is scheduled for the next month, with the judge speculating whether the attack was in retaliation for a prior shooting that left a nine-year-old girl severely injured.
The series of violent events also included the murder of Izzet Eren, a senior member of the Tottenham Turks and brother of the slain Zafer Eren, in Moldova shortly after the incident involving Mr. Guzel. In a related development, Mr. Guzel informed the police from his hospital bed about two earlier shooting occurrences that he attributed to the Tottenham Turks gang.
The origins of the conflict dated back to November 2024 when Mr. Guzel’s brother received threatening messages demanding a significant sum of money, leading to subsequent violent acts targeting their family. Despite the threats and attacks, Mr. Guzel affirmed that his family never yielded to extortion demands from criminal groups.
During the trial, Gunduz, born in Turkey and residing in the UK since childhood, denied any involvement in the shooting of Mr. Guzel. He admitted to prior convictions dating back to 2008 for various offenses but vehemently refuted any association with the conspiracy to harm individuals.
