Murder of businessman in Belize City. Is it linked to Khaled Jamil El Turk?
A car dealer was executed during the lunch hour in the Old Capital. Abdul Azziz Mohammed Dib and friends were having coffee at a Lebanese restaurant in the heavily trafficked area behind the Farmers Market when a gunman entered the premises and opened fire. The murder has the trappings of a hit, because the gunman aimed specifically at Dib hitting him on the head and chest before fleeing the scene. The motive for the killing of the Lebanese American national is not known but there is plenty speculation. One lead that is being followed is whether there is a link to a warrant for the remand of Khaled Jamil El Turk who is wanted in the U.S. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
A torrent of gunfire erupted inside this small, Lebanese restaurant at midday, while patrons sat around their tables having lunch. The noontime execution of forty-one year old Abdul Azziz Mohammed Dib was precise. The gunman entered, discharged his weapon and exited, witnesses say, within the blink of an eye.
Voice of: Eyewitness
“While we were sitting down at the table, it was me and some other people, four of us, we were chatting and talking, drinking coffee. In that same moment I moved in and the other guy, who is the owner, he moved [to attend to] some customers who were also in the place. The guy jumped in, [he was of] slim complexion, dark skinned person, he came and emptied the gun. I don’t know how much shots, about five or six shots into the person and he ran back. He had [on] a mask. Even some other people saw him [running] towards the direction of Atlantic Bank.”
Farmers Market, a collection of restaurants and vegetable stalls adjacent to the BelCan Bridge, is a favorite among workers in the area. Dib, a Lebanese-American auto dealer, had just parked his vehicle across the street from King Kebab’s, what was once Indira’s Restaurant, when the hit was carried out.
Isani Cayetano
“What do you believe could have been the motive? I know that nothing was taken from his person or nothing was taken from the establishment. What do you believe may have triggered this incident?”
Voice of: Eyewitness
“I believe I have no idea. I have no idea. I know, hundred percent, this person is clean. He comes in, sells vehicles, goes back. He doesn’t have problems. Like he’s well known among friends and stuff like that. He’s not a troublemaker or nothing, that’s why everybody’s wondering what’s the reason for it.”
While a motive for the homicide remains undetermined, a table inside the establishment reveals a warrant for the remand of Khaled Jamil El Turk. Turk is wanted in the United States for conspiring to import pseudoephedrine, the chemical precursor to methamphetamine. The nearby wall is bloodstained and littered with pockmarks.
Voice of: Eyewitness
“It could be a wrong [or] mistaken [identity] personality. It could be. And this place is just opened, I mean it didn’t even have two weeks. This restaurant just opened. For me I have no idea what caused the whole situation you know.”
Isani Cayetano
“Do you know when he was scheduled to leave the country?”
Voice of: Eyewitness
“Usually he comes and brings one or two vehicles [that] he sells and then he goes back. He just came in lately [and] he has one for sale.”
On the ground, not far away from his motionless body, were seven expended shells and two live rounds; a broken wooden chair beneath him. Dib was taken out with extreme prejudice; shot a total of six times to various parts of the body. Outside the premises, a team of officers stood within the cordon, moments before another group emerged from the entrance carrying the body on a stretcher. At news time no arrest had been made. Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.
Our fine Immigration Minister Hulse has opened the Jewel to Hezbollah cells from Lebanon. I think dining experiences like this one will become more common in the Jewel, as the Middle East and all of its treachery, murder, and strife makes itself at home here.
I believe for a few dollars of blood money, we have the welcome mat out for international terrorists.
Hulse must go.
slow r@@S police we have in Belize cud do what you want and get away…They wah reach one hour after anyways!!!! D#$b a$$$$3S!!!
Crime gets more interesting daily in Belize.This is bigger than anyone knows. Remember the wrong fertilizer that was shipped last year, guess what, I believe if we had good investigators they would find a link. There are government people tied up in these illegal stuff going on. This guy knew something, he was a threat and they took him out.
The criminal foreigners are making their moves now, the people of Belize are hostage in their own country and the bad thing is that they are not even aware of who the enemy is.
This is why the people who sells these criminals passports and access documents to enter the country should be tried and convicted of treason.
Note to the writer, it is so sad that you chose to refer to the dead man as a stiff. That term is disrespectful and unprofessional. How about saying “carrying the lifeless body on a stretcher”. Have we gotten so cold and desensitized that we stop respecting a life taken in such a horrific manner.
The one I know that have all the gang bangers in his pocket is judas barrow he is probably still paying these people under the table and has them doing his bidding I hope the American ambassador is paying close attention to this totally corrupt pm and gov. March belizeans march before you are next perhaps I will be next. Because judas barrow can put a hit on you at anytime.
Once again we find that undesirable SCUMBAGS,Turk/Fuller that is wanted in the US, have found haven in Belize and, more will continue to do so.Get rid of the corrupt lawyers and others.Start EDUCATING the young then ,maybe one day, things will be better for all Belizeans.
this is so wrong, may Aziz rest in peace. Love you !
This is big! Real big. The repercussions will be even bigger.
There are certain deals that the Police are ordered not to interfere in because either Senior Police Officers may be compromised, or the reputations of the BIG WIGS are at stake.
Do you see how these people live when they come to Belize? Do you know how it is they gain wealth and power? Do you like that they become all powerful and tend to live better than us Belizeans? Our little Belize runs on blood money and drugs money now, but it seems our political leaders are proud of it. These people have brought their skullduggery to Belize. We must send them back to their homeland and whoever else wants to live in their world.
The cartels are making their move. This is just the tip of the iceberg. GOB can no longer keep their head stuck in the sand and pretend that we don’t have these kind of problems. Belize is teetering on the brink of total lawlessness and becoming a failed state. The police department does not have the faintest clue on how to deal with it and the politicians are in it up to their ears. You think crack is bad, just wait until all those crack heads are on meth.
The grapevine reports that Israel’s Mossad might be behind this hit since this Lebanese has Hamas connections. Remember Israel and USA listen in to all conversations, electronic communications, etc. This assassination was not random. More will come as we have paid killers roaming Belize. They are paid by foreign entities. Beware Belize!!!
We saw international terrorist coming and did nothing to prepare for its coming. Do not be surprise when the bombs start blowing up.
hemsey and others have it coming – car dealers with cold heart. these guys are ruthless dealers…just a raw deal caught up with him……..look oout
Well, Malthus, if I were sure it was Mossad, I would feel a little better. They are the best at what they do, and they are on the right side.
Mossad doesn’t waste its time tracking and taking out drug traffickers, they go after the most dangerous international terrorists.
I’d like to invite Mossad in to run our police, I think.
I know for sure that “car dealing” is often a cover for smuggling other contraband — could be drugs or weapons or both.
I read news articles that during the Lebanese civil war in the 1970’s, pro-Syrian groups set up car parts and junkyards businesses in the U.S. as covers to smuggle weapons to the Muslim militias in Lebanon, and that the contras used car importation as a cover to get weapons into Costa Rica for their fighters against the Communist government in Nicaragua.
I SUGGEST CUSTOMS SCOUR IMPORTED CARS EXTRA CAREFULLY, ESPECIALLY WHEN IMPORTED BY MIDDLE EASTERN “DEALERS.”
I didn’t see the news last night but reading the newscast I can’t figure out how a warrant for some El Turk guy enters the picture? The news says ‘a table inside the establishment reveals a warrant for…’ So a warrant for El Turk was seen lying on a table inside the restaurant? Which table? We can’t expect the reporter to have all the answers, but we would appreciate a clear, concise and coherent tale so we can follow. Just saying…
I foresaw that the bangers in Belize would one day realize that there is money in doing hits, instead of killing each other for petty gang pecadillos. Now the big boys, the pesces gordos, will sweat a little and feel some of the pressure the roots are feeling. And the money distributed to the poor over this hit will go a long way. My estimation is that a hit like this costs at least $25 K. Christmas di come. New linoleum, paint, furniture, rum, black cake, and oh no forget the turkey and ham. Moh money. Yeah, I am a cynical SOB. But these kinds of things happen all over the world. The US historically was rife with hits, the mafia, etc, after a while some went legit. They all did it originally for the money to feed their families. I am sure di killer noh du it fu free. Over 100,000 Lebanese were killed during their civil war.
There are train foreign assigns among us. Let the CIA operative’s station in Belize handle this one. Belize security will never solve these murders. Have them begin by going through all Middle East passports entering Belize within the past month. However it is doubtful that they came in through a legal Port OF Entry. More than likely they came in without documents through our prose borders. A professional like these normally carries false passports.
To the people with the morinic statements, do you all have a brain? Lebanese people who come here work twice as hard and try for themselves. They hire Belizeans. Have you watched the news about some place name jungle whereby some people couldnt wash their dishes because they took away their illegal water supply? These people want handouts and have no intentions of making anything of themselves and do anything for money. They have the mentality that im black and come frm slavery so u owe me. Those days have lone gone, get your @$$ up and chop your own grass they are waiting for GOB to send someone to chop their grass. I mean really. EDUCATE yourselves and stop being so naive. Stop pointing fingers because four are pointing inwards, yes it starts with you and it starts at home. Educate yourselves and others get up and work and stop complaining and pointing fingers. Aziz was my friend and he was an honest God fairing man.
He was no terrorist.wasnt killed by the Israeli.relatives in Australia and Lebanon are givin al sorts of theories.i say he was the target but why no one knows exept god and gunman
My head is spinning with all the crime going on, and I am dumb founded about these terrorist connections. I do agre that calling a deceased a stiff is disrespectfull to say the least
Everyone here is clueless so yo make up crap , just because he’s Lebanese doesn’t make him a terrorist , drug dealer, nor a armed dealer. I know this man just like all the other men that bid on cars in the US and sell them at saveU to make a living. Because there’s no good money here in Belize it’s impossible to make a ok living without struggling or going far beyond to sell cars in different countries to make a ok living. stereotyping him as a terrorist because he came from elsewhere and is of the Arab culture doesn’t nessarly make him a terrorist. When has any of the Arab men cause any problems in Belize or blow something up. All the crime come from the belizien people who. Do the shooting, killing , even the belizien police is involved in drug trafficking , and yet you point the finger on a Arab man ” so stereotypical” they know how to point the finger though. Half of you get false information you guys watch from TV, or local news , do your research and find the real facts and answer before you make yourself sound illiterate. #stayINSchool
why no one condeming the devil for taking a life that he did not made.
why no one condeming the devil for taking a life that he did not made.
I apologize to the family for being insensitive. My CIA friend thinks that the brother knows the deal. The car business is used for a cover for many deals. Lots of illegal laundry money. Consider the scenario as described, the restaurant owner moved and the killer stepped in. The shooter had a full description of his target before hand. Judas stepped aside when the Romans hit (ironically middle Eastern operatives also). The brother was warned that if certain monies was not repaid his brother would be taken out. Ergo, the natural instinct after a tragedy like this, would be, the brother wailing about the loss of his brother in such a tragic way. Instead he was recalcitrant. He knows the deal and may be plotting his own revenge. The Lebanese community is tight knit and deal with a lot of dubious financial transactions. I wouldn’t be surprised if they lured some of our greedy politicians into their web; that is their style back home. My CIA friend agrees with my hypothesis. And the Roots too. “If da no soh, dah naily soh”. Check the cell phone records of the restaurant owner, the victim, and the bredda.
Gee folks, everyone is just downing the police dept, these guys are ill equiped, not very well trained, grossly underpaid and overworked, give them some credit, they are working with what they have available to them. More funding should be given to the dept for training and equipments etc.
Police don`t give a heck about this, the police have their own mafia to deal with.
to the smart moses ur cia friends never provide u with a solution for the cooruption of ur kind??? dont be talking aout other corruption especially if they were getting some results from when ur corruption taking u only to midd ages FOOL