An Algerian gang operating in London because 'that's where the money is' has been jailed for stealing £600,000 worth of jewellery from the Abu Dhabi royal family outside St Pancras station. The theft occurred in June 2025 as the victims disembarked the Eurostar and prepared to load their luggage into a waiting chauffeur-driven vehicle.
How the theft unfolded
CCTV footage captured the moment an unidentified man distracted the driver while two gang members, Medhi Fatih, 41, and Abdel Aitkebir, 35, snatched the cases and fled. The stolen goods included gold jewellery, with photographs later found on Fatih's phone. Aitkebir admitted to selling the case three days later.
The victims were Roda Al Nahyan, her mother Shamsa, and Najla Al Qubaisi. Judge Benedict Kelleher, sentencing at a London court, stated: 'It's clear from the CCTV that you had noticed the vehicle and you got yourselves in position to steal when the family arrived. As they walked through the station it would have been obvious to you they were wealthy. You were clearly targeting them for that reason.'
Organised network uncovered
The gang's activities were exposed when a third member, Faysal Benoumechiara, 27, was arrested on the same day for stealing a man's bag near the station. Police confiscated his phone and discovered a WhatsApp chat revealing a network of thieves operating in the area. One message read: 'Peace be upon you my brothers. I want to tell you something. I did not come here to take tops or I don’t know what. I come here to get the watches and get the money. This country is where the money is. Get yourselves ready my brothers.'
Benoumechiara had embarked on an £80,000 theft spree between December 2024 and November 2025, targeting luggage racks and passengers in the station car park. He entered the UK via Spain but illegally overstayed his visa and was first convicted for a theft on 7 December 2024.
Details of the theft spree
On 8 December 2024, Benoumechiara and another man grabbed two bags and three shopping bags belonging to Caroline Naylor from an overhead luggage rack on a train leaving King’s Cross for Peterborough. The items, including a Louis Vuitton bag, clothes, and make-up, were valued at £60,835. In January 2025, he was spared prison for the earlier theft but continued his spree.
On 26 May 2025, travelling from Morpeth to King’s Cross, he stole a luggage bag and crocodile skin evening bag worth £1,600. On 16 August 2025, he and another man pinched luggage from a car boot in the St Pancras car park, including medicine and cash worth £6,292. On 21 August 2025, he returned to the same car park and stole £15,000 worth of luggage from a man waiting for a taxi.
Benoumechiara was finally caught on 4 November 2025, arrested with other gang members outside King’s Cross after police saw them rifling through a luggage bag. Judge Kelleher sentenced him to two years and three months, stating: 'You were operating with others as a professional luggage thief and you were deliberately targeting people identified as having high value goods in their bags.'
Sentences handed down
Fatih, who entered the UK illegally in July 2025, and Aitkebir, who overstayed a visa from April 2023, pleaded guilty to theft. Fatih, of no fixed address, was jailed for two years and four months, while Aitkebir received two years and six months after submitting a false basis of plea. The judge noted the offence involved planning and coordination of seven men, targeting passengers from international trains with waiting chauffeurs.
