A MYSTERIOUS third individual was filmed in a rental car with two British men before they were reportedly found shot dead inside the burnt-out vehicle in Sweden.
Children’s football coach Juan Cifuentes, 33, and Farooq Abdulrazak, 27, went missing while on a business trip to Denmark and Sweden.
Their families issued an urgent plea for information as it is believed they are the same two who were found in the destroyed car in Malmö.
Just hours after they were due home at 6pm, news reports from Sweden revealed two bodies had been discovered on a dirt road and cops launched a double-murder probe.
While police haven’t been able to formally identify the bodies, which are now with forensic examiners, the families of the two missing men fear the worst.
Now reports say another man is involved in the ongoing investigation.
He was apparently in close contact with the Brit who rented the car, Aftonbladet reports.
Cops described the motor as a black Toyota Rav 4 – captured on CCTV the day they died with three people inside – according to Swedish outlet Sydsvenskan.
Laura Cifuentes, sister of missing Juan, told The Sun: “There’s no confirmation. There’s no confirmation that they’ve been shot. The bodies are still being identified.
“They were meant to return home and it was meant to be a short business trip.”
Heartbreakingly, Ms Cifuentes admitted that there’s “probably [a] 99% chance” that the bodies are those of her brother and his friend, but said the two families will wait for official confirmation from the Swedish police.
Both victims were killed before the car was set alight and dumped in the Fosie industrial estate, according to Swedish media.
The tragic discovery was made on Sunday, with forensic examiners pictured at the scene.
The victims are believed to have rented a Toyota RAV4 in Denmark at Copenhagen Kastrup airport, before travelling the short distance over the border.
It is believed they flew to Denmark on Sunday and rented a car at Copenhagen Kastrup airport.
PARTS of Sweden have become riddled with gang activity, plagued by executions, bomb attacks and child soldiers rampaging the streets.
Innocent bystanders have been gunned down in recent years as a country that was once deemed peaceful and safe becomes a terrifying gangster paradise.
Sweden has grappled with gang violence for decades but its latest latest surge has been exceptional – fuelled by notorious druglords dubbed Kurdish Fox and The Greek.
Police have been placed on standby ready to prevent brutal murders and explosions – and the country’s leaders have even geared up to deploy the military.
Human lives and family homes have fallen victim to the ongoing gang warfare, as the country chillingly reaches the highest level of children prosecuted for murder since 2019.
Much of the violence is concentrated in large cities like Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö and Uppsala.
Malmö has even been dubbed one of the worst cities in Northern Europe for gang crime in a tourism review.
Manne Gerell, Swedish criminologist and senior lecturer at Malmö university, previously told the Financial Times that shootings and bombings in the city are rife.
He said: “It almost appears random — it can happen to anybody, anywhere. It makes it more similar to terrorism.”
One gang member told public broadcaster SVT “If my family is in danger, everyone’s family is in danger,” as cops face a least of at least 150 homes that could be the target of shootings or bombings.
They then drove across over the Oresund Bridge to Sweden where their burnt out car was found in Malmö.
Their friend Naoman Waheed, 46, told MailOnline it could be a “carjacking gone wrong.”
He said: “From what I’ve heard from the families, Swedish Police are looking into whether there was an incident just as they crossed the border from Denmark.
“There seems to have been an attack on the car, a carjacking gone wrong and potential robbery.”
Swedish cops say they “have an idea of who they are”, but haven’t been able to publicly identify either of the victims.
A spokesperson for The Swedish Police Authority told The Sun: “The two people who were found dead in a burnt-out car on Sunday afternoon have not yet been identified.
“The bodies are being examined by forensic medicine. The incident is currently being investigated as a murder.
“Several witnesses have been interviewed and the police are interested in further observations and tips.”
A UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: “We are supporting the families of two British men reported missing in Sweden and are in touch with the local authorities.”
The Sun has learned Juan and Farooq are both from North London and were close friends who ran a travel agency together.
The pair shared photos of them together on foreign trips across social media.
A family source told The Sun: “They are both nice, normal guys, everyone is shocked and waiting on news from Sweden.”
They said that missing Juan is a family man who coaches kids’ football in his North London community.
“He was very good at football as a kid and still plays now, he also coaches a kids’ football team.
“He’s a good guy and a hard worker. He runs a travel agency with Farooq and also works as a courier.”
