ALGERIAN GANG JAILED FOR £600,000 JEWELLERY THEFT FROM ABU DHABI ROYALS

Medhi Fatih, 41, and Abdel Aitkebir, 35, have been jailed for stealing £600,000 worth of jewellery from members of the Abu Dhabi royal family outside St Pancras station in October 2025. The theft targeted Roda Al Nahyan, her mother Shamsa, and Najla Al Qubaisi as they disembarked from a Eurostar train and approached a waiting chauffeur. CCTV footage showed an unidentified man distracting the driver whilst Aitkebir and Fatih removed cases from the vehicle and fled. Photographs of gold jewellery were later discovered on Fatih's phone, and Aitkebir admitted to selling one of the stolen cases three days after the theft.

Judge Benedict Kelleher stated that CCTV evidence demonstrated the men had positioned themselves to target the family upon their arrival. The judge noted the offence involved planning and coordination amongst seven men, including identification of wealthy passengers arriving on the international train service. On the same day of the St Pancras theft, a third gang member, Faysal Benoumechiara, 27, was arrested for stealing a man's bag at the station. Police examination of Benoumechiara's mobile phone revealed WhatsApp messages between gang members discussing their activities, with one message stating: "I come here to get the watches and get the money. This country is where the money is."

The messages recovered by police indicated the gang operated as a coordinated network across the station area. Benoumechiara's phone records documented what police described as an £80,000 stealing spree. Further messages showed members arranging meetings and preparing for additional theft operations in the capital.