Turkish media reported that the killings of Ali Ekber Akgün and Vedat Şahin, two men with mafia connections, on the same day were linked and allegedly ordered by a Dutch drug lord and his Turkish associate. Akgün was killed in his car in Istanbul's Sarıyer district last Thursday, hours before Şahin, the brother of a notorious gang leader, was gunned down with his men in the city's Nişantaşı district. A report in Sabah newspaper claimed Dino Soerel, a notorious Dutch drug lord, and his associate, Ramazan Özarslan, the leader of a Turkish gang operating in Europe, ordered the killings. Takvim daily claimed that Akgün was "under protection" of Şahin in Istanbul as he became the target of Dutch drug lords reportedly after he tipped off to the Dutch police before leaving for Turkey the activities of drug traffickers. Turkish police investigated Atilla Önder, a rival of Akgün, who was allegedly targeted by Akgün in a foiled murder plot. Önder was also engaged in a feud with Ramazan Özarslan and four people from both men's gangs were killed during the feud. Police questioned Önder, who currently lives in Turkey. He denied any connection to the killing of Akgün and told police the victim was a prominent member of the Dutch underworld and thus "had many enemies." Önder was arrested in a police raid in Istanbul seven years ago on charges of drug trafficking and was released from prison last year. The media also reported that Akgün had prepared a "hit list" before his death and ordered the killings of 20 people. Police continue the manhunt for suspects in both shootings after they were identified by security cameras near the scenes. Soerel, who reportedly ordered the hits, is a prominent underworld figure. He is wanted for organized crime involved in international drug trafficking, was arrested in 2010 in Amsterdam and sentenced to seven years in prison in 2012. He was also charged with the murders of Kees Houtman and Thomas van der Bijl but was later acquitted. Özarslan was sentenced to 39 years in prison in 2009 on charges of running a criminal gang, murder and kidnapping after he was captured in a police raid in Istanbul in 2008. He was the head of the Adıyamanlılar gang, which was involved in drug trafficking from Turkey to European countries.