Mohammed Abdi murder: Machine gun killers jailed for life Published duration 13 June 2014

image copyright Police image caption Hussein Ali and Mohamud Mohamud last month pleaded guilty to killing Mohammed Abdi in the Duddingston area on 26 May last year

Three men who killed a 25-year-old man with a sub-machine gun in an Edinburgh suburb have been jailed for life.

Mohamud Mohamud, 30, Cadil Huseen, 23, and Hussein Ali, 26, earlier pleaded guilty to killing Mohammed Abdi in the Duddingston area on 26 May last year.

Mr Abdi died from a chest wound after being gunned down in what is understood to have been a feud over drugs.

The men - described by the judge as "corrupt" - must serve at least 25 years before applying for parole.

They were sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow.

Lord Turnbull said the trio were part of a "wholly corrupt lifestyle" and were prepared to "engage in violence of an extreme nature".

Omar Abdi, the victim's father, said: "Nothing will bring my son back, but I am relieved to know the persons who committed this terrible crime will no longer be able to hurt anyone again and I hope no other family will suffer as we have.

"I would like to thank wholeheartedly the various communities across Edinburgh who were affected by this tragic death and who went on to provide vital support to the police investigation.

"I was heartened when I saw the number of cards and flowers that were laid where my son died and provided me with comfort that he had been a friend to a number of people who shared in my grief.

"I have been supported throughout the past year while the investigation has been ongoing and I would like to thank Police Scotland and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, who along with others have brought these individuals to justice."

image copyright PA image caption Mr Abdi died after an armed car chase in Edinburgh

A trial earlier heard how a large Somalian crime network, with London connections, operated in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Huseen and Ali were involved in large-scale drug dealing with Mohamud a close associate.

The victim Mr Abdi had been close to the group, until he set up a rival drug gang.

This sparked a series of tit for tat incidents between the gangs before it escalated to the fatal shooting.

Witnesses spoke of hearing speeding cars, one smashed into a fence, and also the sound of gunfire.

Taxi driver Mohammed Irfan said: "I never thought it would be happening here. It was like something you hear in the movies."

Five shots were discharged from a machine gun, three hitting Mr Abdi.

Another was fired from a converted revolver, but it was a bullet from the machine gun which proved fatal after it struck Mr Abdi in the chest.

Mohamud was caught at the scene by police, while Huseen hid in a shed and then fled to London where he was arrested weeks later.

Ali fled to Kenya, but later agreed to return to the UK after extradition proceedings began.

Mohamud, Huseen and Ali had originally denied murder, but changed their plea to guilty at the fourth week of their trial last month.

Ahmed Ahmed, 28, Liban Ahmed, 30, Said Fadal, 32, and Said Tarabi, 27, had also been accused of murder, but their not guilty pleas were previously accepted.

Det Ch Supt Gary Flannigan, of Police Scotland, said: "This crime took place just a month into the formation of Police Scotland and the subsequent investigation saw specialised officers teaming up right across the country and, indeed, working with the authorities from other continents.

"Detectives were able to combine CCTV and telecoms information from throughout the United Kingdom, while scene examiners and scientists did fantastic work deconstructing the vehicles involved in the shooting and recovering vital evidence.

"The public, too, played a crucial part in the case that led to today's sentencing. Local residents who initially stopped to help at what they thought was a road traffic accident were not deterred even when the full nature of the incident unfolded and we are grateful for their invaluable assistance."