Arrest in 2024 Little Italy homicide after two years
Gibriil Bakal, 31, was apprehended in Turkey after his fingerprints matched an Interpol Red Notice at the border.
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Ottawa police announced Saturday that Gibriil Bakal, 31, has been arrested in Turkey for the 2024 homicide of Jama Roble in Little Italy.
Roble, 33, was shot on January 29, 2024, near Champagne Avenue South and died in hospital on February 8. Bakal had been wanted for first-degree murder since detectives identified him as a suspect more than two years ago.
Turkish authorities identified Bakal when his biometric checks at the border matched his fingerprints to an Interpol Red Notice — the global law enforcement alert system. Turkish officials notified the RCMP, who contacted Ottawa Police Service. Bakal appeared in Turkish court after his arrest.
Ottawa Police thanked policing and justice partners for their assistance and credited the Bolo Program, which had listed Bakal as the 19th most wanted suspect in Canada, for amplifying the wanted notice nationally.
In February 2024, Sharmaake Abdi Hire, 28, was charged as an accessory after the fact to murder in connection with the same homicide.