Police probing linked murders say they cannot rule out organised crime
Detectives investigating the murders of two eastern European men have said they cannot rule out “a potential organised criminal element”.
A 30-year-old man was found with stab wounds in the boot of a car near Scratchwood Park, Barnet, north London, on Thursday evening.
He died a short time later, and a 31-year-old man initially taken to hospital with injuries was later arrested on suspicion of murder.
A second man, 35, was discovered with stab wounds in undergrowth in Hogg Lane, Elstree, Hertfordshire, on Friday.
The death is being treated as linked to the murder of a man found with stab injuries in Scratchwood Park, #Barnet on 19 December.
More information will be provided in due course.
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) December 21, 2019
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers are working to establish how long the body had been there, and whether the incident took place before or after the discovery in Barnet.
Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector Simon Stancombe said: “At these very early stages, we believe both the deceased men are eastern European males.
“While we retain an open mind as to a motive, we cannot rule out whether there might be a potential organised criminal element.
“We also believe that the two victims might have been known to each other.”
