Belgian investigators have stated that Ardit Spahiu was killed in an organized and professional manner, rejecting any version that it was a random conflict. The statements were made during the trial at the Assize Court in Brussels, where nine people are being tried for involvement in the murder of the 38-year-old Albanian, which occurred on November 27, 2020 in Sint-Jans-Molenbeek.
"It wasn't a fight that got out of control. The victim was killed because it was decided that way," investigators told the jury, describing the crime as a well-organized execution.
The body of Ardit Spahiu was found at around 17:50 near a building on Condorlaan. According to police, 17 shell casings were found near the body, while an autopsy found 18 gunshot wounds to the head, back and hands. According to witnesses, the shots came from a vehicle with two masked men.
According to the investigation, a few minutes before the murder, Spahiu was in a car with his friend, FM, who had stopped twice. A white vehicle had blocked their path. The moment Spahiu got out of the car, one of the perpetrators opened fire on him, while another pointed a silenced gun at FM.
Investigators have established a previous interaction between the victim, his friend and an unknown person in the Ter Kamerenbos area, before they moved towards Molenbeek, where the execution took place.
The federal prosecution has charged FM (currently imprisoned in Albania), EM (free on bail of 35,000 euros) and ES (detained in Albania) with the execution of the murder. EM has refused to give explanations in the courtroom, while his lawyers claim that he was not in the perpetrators' car and deny the use of the Sky ECC encrypted communication codes that the prosecution attributes to him.
The two main suspects for ordering the murder, Franc G., known as Franc Copja, and MQ, were not in Belgium at the time of the crime. According to the investigation, they operated from Dubai, communicating via encrypted channels. The prosecution alleges that Franc Copja was in direct contact with the perpetrators, while MQ provided information about the victim through three other Albanians in Brussels.
One of them, ER, has retracted statements he gave in 2021, claiming that he was pressured into admitting involvement in the murder while in custody. He denied ever having located Spahiu and denied knowing MQ, despite statements from his cousin, EB, who has been cooperating with investigators since 2023.
According to the federal prosecutor's office, ER, EB and BM served as informants in organizing the murder. EB has stated that ER received 200,000 euros for his role, while he and BM received 100,000 euros each.
The investigation has also revealed that Ardit Spahiu was involved in the cocaine and cannabis trade in Belgium and that since 2019 he had been living in hiding, fearing for his life in Albania.
The trial in Brussels is continuing, while Belgian authorities consider the murder of Ardit Spahiu a classic contract killing, planned and carried out by an international criminal network.
