Father of Martine Vik Magnussen speaks out after Farouk Abdulhak's confession trends now
A playboy fugitive's decision to finally admit his involvement in the death of a Norwegian student in London more than a decade ago is a 'gamechanger' that could secure his extradition to the UK within a year, the victim's father told MailOnline today.
Farouk Abdulhak fled to Yemen in his billionaire father's private jet hours after allegedly raping and murdering 23-year-old Martine Vik Magnussen after a night out at the Maddox nightclub in Mayfair in 2008.
The 35-year-old, who is on the Met's most wanted list and the subject of an international arrest warrant, has never spoken about the case before. He told BBC documentary Murder In Mayfair that he killed Ms Vik Magnussen in a 'sex accident'.
Her father, Odd Petter Magnussen, has campaigned tirelessly for Abdulhak to face trial in London despite the lack of an extradition treaty between the UK and Yemen and the protection Abdulhak has enjoyed from the country's elites.
Describing the significance of the fugitive's admission, Mr Magnussen told MailOnline: 'It's a gamechanger. He's no longer a suspect, he's now a killer. That changes the whole perspective in Yemen from a political point of view and with regards to his family, who may now be able to put more pressure on him.'
Farouk Abdulhak and Martine Vik Magnussen pictured on the night of the attack
Farouk Abdulhak is accused of the rape and murder of 23-year-old Martine Vik Magnussen. He is pictured in an undated handout photo issued by the Metropolitan Police
Martine Vik Magnussen, 23, whose body was found buried under rubble the morning after partying with Abdulhak in Mayfair
Mr Magnussen said he had been in contact with Yemeni officials and felt confident of achieving a 'solution' within a year.
'I've been talking to both the legally elected government and the Houthi movement, who control the area where he is residing,' he said.
'We've had a dialogue with them for the last one and a half years and they've managed to pinpoint a possible solution within a year.'
Asked if a 'solution' meant Abdulhak's extradition to the UK, he said: 'Absolutely, this is a burden for Yemen. The fact that he's admitting his involvement means he is, by definition, a murderer.
'It takes a lot more political courage to defend protecting a murderer and a rapist. So I think there's a good reason to believe it will happen over the year.'
BBC Nawal Al-Maghafi, a BBC journalist who grew up in Yemen and used her relatives in the country to reach Abdulhak, said the fact the story was now being covered in Arabic media would load more pressure onto the Yemeni authorities.
'People in Yemen and those surrounding Farouk will now know what he did,' he told MailOnline.
'For years Yemen has been a great place to hide, with the people in charge able to act as cover for him. This will change things by increasing the pressure on them.'
Her father, Odd Petter Magnussen, has campaigned tirelessly for Abdulhak to face trial in London. He's seen today
Abdulhak was tracked down by journalist Nawal Al-Maghafi for the BBC documentary Murder In Mayfair, with the pair exchanging a flurry of texts
She said the murder suspect was living an 'isolated and lonely' existence with few close friends. He grew up in Cairo and the USA and only returned to Yemen because it does not extradite criminal suspects to Britain.
Martine Vik Magnussen was found dead under a pile of rubble in a basement in Great Portland Street, Westminster, after a night out with friends to celebrate coming top of the class in her exams.
CCTV showed her leaving exclusive Mayfair nightclub Maddox at 2am on March 14 with Abdulhak, a fellow student at the £10,000-a-year Regent's Business School whom she had previously dated.
The alleged murderer - nicknamed 'DP' by friends for his love of Dom Perignon champagne - was named as being wanted by police and fled the UK within hours of her death.
Police said she had been strangled and raped. Last year they arrested a woman in her 60s on suspicion of assisting an offender but have since released her under investigation.
Ms Al-Maghafi found a mobile number for the fugitive before messaging him on social media.
Farouk Abdulhak, 35, remains holed up in Yemen and has refused to come back to the UK
Abdulhak said it was 'kind of scary' to be talking to a journalist
Abdulhak claimed the night of Ms Vik Magnussen's death was 'a blur' but then admitted he had 'flashbacks'
Early in their conversation, Abdulhak told the reporter 'I did something when I was younger. It was a mistake.' After he realised she was aware of his story, the fugitive said he would not be going to police because it was 'way too late'.
When Ms Al-Maghafi asked Abdulhak, who now works in the cryptocurrency industry, whether he had any regrets, he said: 'I deeply regret the unfortunate accident that happened.
'I regret coming here [Yemen]. Should have stayed and paid the piper.
He claimed not to remember the night of Ms Vik Magnussen's death, saying it was 'all a blur', but said he had flashbacks and felt 'uncomfortable' 'when he smells 'a certain female perfume'.
He said that her death was 'just a sex accident gone wrong', adding: 'No one knows because I could barely piece together what happened.'
Abdulhak said he had taken cocaine on the night and 'couldn't remember' why he moved Ms Vik Magnussen's body.
Ms Al-Maghafi later spoke to the fugitive on the phone and asked him if he wanted to help the student's family 'get answers'.
