Ottawa police said Saturday that Gibriil Bakal, 31, has been arrested in Türkiye, more than two years after detectives identified him as a suspect for Ottawa’s first homicide in 2024.
The Ottawa Police Service said Saturday that Bakal appeared in court that day after he was arrested in Türkiye.
In a release, police said Bakal’s biometric checks at the Turkish border matched his fingerprints to an Interpol Red Notice, a global law enforcement alerting system that helps officers around the world identify and arrest wanted individuals.
“Turkish authorities confirmed his identity and notified the RCMP, who then contacted the Ottawa Police Service,” police said in Saturday’s release.
Police said Bakal has appeared in court.
The OPS thanked its “policing and justice partners for their assistance … as well as the Bolo Program for helping amplify the wanted notice nationally.”
Bakal was 19th on the Bolo Program’s list for Canada’s 25 most wanted suspects.
He was wanted for the first-degree murder of Jama Roble , 33, who died in hospital on Feb. 8, 2024 from gunshot injuries sustained Jan. 29 that year.
First responders were called to the shooting scene in the 100 block of Champagne Avenue South at about 1:15 p.m.
In February that year, police made an arrest in connection with the Little Italy homicide.
Sharmaake Abdi Hire, 28, was charged with being an accessory after the fact to murder.
Related
Our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark our homepage and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed.
