Heat on Yemeni murder suspect through family business links

Norwegian MPs have called on multinational companies to put pressure on a wealthy Yemeni businessman to hand over his son, who is wanted for the 2008 murder of a student in London.

Farouk Abdulhak, the prime suspect for the rape and murder of a Norwegian student, is thought to have fled to his native Yemen where his father, Shaher Abdulhak, is a prominent businessmen, with an oil and tourism empire.

The MPs wrote to the chief executives of companies including Coca-Cola, Whirlpool and Daimler AG to ask them to examine any relationship they have with the businessman. The Norwegian Liberal Party leader, Trine Skei Grande, said: "We hope business associates can put pressure on him that can lead to the suspect putting himself before the British authorities."

Martine Vik Magnussen, 23, was strangled or smothered to death in March 2008. She had been celebrating the end of her exams at a nightclub in Mayfair. Her body was found under a pile of rubbish in the basement of Farouk Abdulhak's West End flat two days after her disappearance.

He is suspected of having fled the country in his father's private jet. A European arrest warrant has been issued, but Yemen is unlikely to extradite him. Ms Magnussen's father has spoken of the "absurd situation" which means Abdulhak is untouchable. A Coca-Cola spokesman, Stein Rømmerud, was quoted as telling the Norwegian newspaper VG that it was a police problem. "We have no connection to the suspect and the suspect's dad is only indirectly involved in Coca-Cola."