Russian-Azeri Mafia Don's Bodyguard Kills His Protectee in Antalya

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 21 August 2020)

revolving door hits click here for a TNT report 

on this continuing saga.

                     Caniyev/Ghost & Salifov/Heart

Azeri mafia leader Nadir Salifov, nicknamed 'Kalp' (heart), was 

shot in the head by his bodyguard (!) the night before last at a

hotel restaurant in Boğazken, a village in Antalya's Şerik district.

The assassin, an Azeri named Amır Hamidli (26), and his friend

Khayn Zeyralov (25), were caught by police along the Denizli-

Antalya highway in Çaradak district and brought back to Antalya.

Salifov's body was given to relatives and he will be buried in 

Istanbul. 

The internecine warfare between Russian, Azeri and Georgian mafias

began with the killing of Aslan Usoyan, known as "Ded Hasan" (maybe

make that "Dead Hasan").  Anyway, Usoyan was the ruler of many illegal

sectors in Russia and he was involved in selling weapons to terrorist 

organizations in the Middle East.  He was killed leaving a restaurant in

Moscow on 16 January 2013 by a sharp-shooter.

In place of Usoyan, Rövşen Caniyev, nicknamed "Lenkaranski", took 

over.  He was prominent among the Azeri minority population in

Russia.  But inter-mafia warfare continued in Ukraine, Georgia and 

then Turkey, where an Azeri 'businessman' named Ali Gamidov was

killed in Başakşehir, Istanbul, on 17 August 2013.  As Gamidov was

dying, he told his girlfriend that Caniyev was to blame but police were

unable to capture Caniyev, who began using a fake ID under the name

Rövşen Aliyev.  

Caniyev earned the nickname 'Hayalet' (ghost) as he traveled between

Russia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey like an untouchable spirit.  

However (!), on 17 August 2016, Caniyev met with his men Timur

'Tsipa' Nemtsitsevirde and Dato Çuradze at a hotel in Beşiktaş, 

Istanbul, and was caught in a hail of gunfire, hit by 65 bullets (!).  

          With 65 chances, one of them had to hit him.

Caniyev's men sought revenge against Nadir Salipov, leader of the

'Lotu Quli' mafia organization, but their efforts in Istanbul in November 

2017 and again in February 2020 were stymied by Turkish police.   

Finally, though, 3 days ago, on the 4th anniversary of Caniyev's murder,  

Salipov was murdered in Antalya province by his bodyguard (see para 

one above).

//END//