LONDON: A suspect, who hired the car which was driven to the home of former PM Imran Khan’s accountability chief Shahzad Akbar’s home in Cambridge to attack him, has been charged, joining seven others who are charged in the plot to target Major (retired) Adil Raja and Akbar around Christmas last year.
Dylan Martin, 33, appeared at the Old Bailey accused of taking part in a plot to set fire to the home of Akbar as well as firing the rounds. Martin has been charged with possession of a firearm and two charges of conspiracy to commit arson with intent, or being reckless as to whether life was endangered.
The second person already charged in connection with the attack on Akbar’s home is Doneto Brammer, 21, from Wood Green, north London. He is alleged to have been the individual with the lit rag. The identity of the gunman, the third person involved in the attack on New Year’s Eve, is unknown, and he may be on the run.
The charges against Martin relate to an incident last New Year’s Eve when a car was driven to the Cambridge home of Akbar, previously a member of the cabinet under jailed former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan. Martin, who is alleged to have hired the car which was used in the plot, was arrested on January 5.
The police have not disclosed it yet, but Geo News has learnt through credible sources that at least three rounds were fired inside Akbar’s premises, piercing through the front entrance main window.
The person who fired the bullets has been described as a white, skinny man who fired bullets and then used the butt of his pistol to break the window from where the rug was thrown inside to set the house on fire. Akbar had left the house around only five minutes ago.
Justice Cheema-Grubb said Martin’s case would be joined to that of Brammer, who has been charged with similar offences. The pair face a provisional trial at Birmingham Crown Court from June 6 next year. The senior judge set a plea hearing for Martin on July 17 and remanded him into custody.
The other seven suspects were charged around two months ago. They are Asif Afsar, Liam McGarry, Mark Regan, Louis Regan, Karl Blackbird and Clark McAulay.
Police say Raja’s home was targeted on December 24, 2025, in Chesham, and Akbar’s home was targeted on December 24, December 31, 2025, and January 10, 2026.
Police say they have no idea about the motivation behind these attacks. The investigation remains ongoing. The trial is set for a year from now at the Birmingham Crown Court. The prosecution has described these attacks as targeted hits.
