Nine-Year-Old Caught in Alleged Gang Assassination Attempt in Dalston, esat London

London - A nine-year-old girl suffered a head injury after being caught in a drive-by shooting in east London, an incident a court has heard was a meticulously planned assassination attempt targeting rival gang members. The Old Bailey was informed that the child was having dinner with her family at the Evin restaurant on Kingsland High Street in Dalston on May 29 last year when she was struck by a bullet.

The violent street attack also left three men critically injured, sustaining bullet wounds to various parts of their bodies. Javon Riley, 33, stands accused, having pleaded not guilty to four counts of attempted murder, alongside others, and an alternative charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent against the young girl, whose identity remains protected due to her age.

Prosecutors allege that Mr. Riley played a pivotal role both before, during, and after the shooting. It is contended that Mr. Riley, from Tottenham, north London, conducted reconnaissance, passing the scene multiple times to confirm the presence of the intended targets prior to the incident. Furthermore, he is accused of assisting the assailant in evading capture, despite the gunman never having been apprehended.

On Tuesday, prosecutor James Mulholland KC outlined the prosecution's case, asserting that the incident constituted "a planned assassination" orchestrated by Mr. Riley and his associates against members of a rival gang. This assertion, he conveyed to the court, is substantiated by the intricate level of planning involved, Mr. Riley's conduct and comments leading up to, during, and following the event, as well as by logical deduction.

Mr. Mulholland further suggested that those who commissioned the shooting entrusted Mr. Riley with its execution, possibly with additional assistance. He added that the attack appeared to be part of an ongoing dispute between two rival London groups, the Tottenham Turks and the Hackney Turks, also known as the "Bombacilars," although the immediate catalyst for this particular incident remains unclear.

The prosecutor emphasised that these two factions have maintained an intense rivalry for over a decade, characterised by extreme violence. The prosecution contends that the primary intent of the attack was the murder of the targeted individuals. Those seated outside the restaurant reportedly had affiliations with the Hackney Turks, whilst those who ordered the shooting were linked to the Tottenham Turks.

Mr. Mulholland informed the jury that covert recordings from a car used by Javon Riley sometime after the shooting would reveal his clear awareness of the Tottenham Turks and his connection to them, indicating their involvement in instigating the attack, even though he was not a formal member. It is not suggested that Mr. Riley was the individual who discharged the shots from the Ducati Monster motorbike, which briefly paused on the road outside the establishment.

Jurors heard that the motorbike rider "raised his right arm and fired six shots in quick succession," striking the three men seated in a group outside, and tragically hitting the young girl. The court was advised that the girl has made "a relatively good recovery" following several intensive operations. Mustafa Kiziltan, Kenan Aydogdu, and Nasser Ali, who were also at the pavement table of the bustling restaurant, likewise sustained bullet wounds.

It is asserted that Mr. Riley's involvement was "vital in the carrying out of the plan to kill." The court was informed that subsequent to the shooting, the assailant rode the motorbike to a nearby street where Mr. Riley was reportedly waiting in a stolen Nissan Juke with false registration plates. They then calmly proceeded towards north London before transferring to Mr. Riley's Range Rover.

Covert police recordings from the months after the shooting reveal Mr. Riley discussing a man named Izzet Eren, a figure associated with the Tottenham Turks, who was himself shot in Moldova on July 10 last year in what is believed to have been a retaliatory attack. He also reportedly spoke of "Kem," believed by the prosecution to be Kemal Eren, another individual closely involved with the Tottenham Turks.