Martine murder suspect 'fled abroad in father's private jet'

Farouk Abdulhak, 21, has been named by Scotland Yard as wanted for questioning in connection with the 23-yearold socialite's death.

He is known to have flown to his native Yemen on Saturday hours before her partially clothed body was found half buried in rubble in a basement outside his central London flat.

The development came as police released pictures of Miss Magnussen's clothing and other personal items which were missing from her body.

Some possessions belonging to the Norwegian business student were found in Farouk's rented flat in Great Portland Street.

But certain items, including her snakeskin shoes and Marc Jacobs handbag, are missing. Detectives believe the killer might have removed the items after the murder.

Detective Chief Inspector Jessica Wadsworth said: "We are urgently seeking information about clothing and personal effects belonging to Martine. These are the shoes, a pair of jeans, a Guess watch, earrings and a ring she was wearing on the night as well as her Marc Jacobs handbag. All of these items were not recovered from the premises in Great Portland Street."

Scotland Yard has revealed that detectives have spoken to Farouk's father, Shaher Abdulhak, a billionaire Arab businessman.

They are still asking for his son to return to Britain voluntarily to discuss her death and officials at the British Embassy in the Yemeni capital Sana are attempting to locate the 21-year-old.

Norwegian Miss Magnussen suffered significant injuries to her neck and it appears she was strangled.

Police say that while the investigation is being treated as a murder inquiry, a post mortem has yet to establish exactly how she died.

Farouk Abdulhak was seen leaving Maddox nightclub in Mayfair at 3am on Friday with Miss Magnussen. Her body was found on Sunday.

They were both studying international business relations at the private Regent's Business School in Regent's Park.

Today Norwegian internet newspaper Nettavisen quoted sources at Luton airport saying that Farouk was smuggled out of the country on his father's private jet on Saturday morning, going first to Athens and then on to Yemen.

Shaher Abdulhak owns a business empire that includes oil, tourism and soft-drink bottling across the Middle East and North Africa. A business associate said: "He is the most powerful man in the Yemen, able to summon the president to his office if needed. He is Mr Yemen."

Officials in the country have said they will hand over Farouk although Mr Abdulhak is known to have hired the London-based international extradition experts Peters & Peters to act for his son.