Juan Cifuentes, 33, and Farooq Abdulrazak, 37, were described by a friend as “role models.” They were reported missing earlier this summer after not returning from a business trip.
The pair’s car was discovered in Malmö, and according to Swedish media, at least one of the victims was shot before the vehicle was set on fire.
Swedish prosecutors confirmed earlier this month that the remains found in the wreckage of the car were identified as those of the two Britons. Investigations are ongoing in both the UK and Sweden, according to Swedish prosecutors.
In a statement, they said: “The prosecutor has today arrested a person on probable cause, suspected of aiding and abetting the murder of two British citizens who were found dead in a burnt-out car in Malmö on 14 July this year. There will now be interrogations, both with the suspect and others.”
Magnus Pettersson, head of the preliminary investigation, stated that prosecutors had until Sunday to decide whether the suspect should remain in custody.
A friend described coming to terms with the situation as “the hardest part” and said the two Britons were “role models” in their communities. Mr. Abdulrazak had recently gotten married, while Mr. Cifuentes was married with two children, aged eight and three, according to the friend. The pair were business partners in what the friend described as “their dream job,” reportedly at the travel company Empire Holidays.
The friend said, “On Tuesday morning, I heard on the radio that two Brits were found in a burnt-out car and that police were investigating it. I didn’t think anything of it, but then finding out they were my friends is something else entirely.”
He added, “Just coming to terms with how they passed away is, I think, the hardest part. Their families are going through unimaginable grief. Everyone is waiting for the police investigation to be completed, to find out what really happened.”
