Man of Albanian heritage jailed for murder of another as Nigel Farage and the country's Prime Minister row over the levels of its citizens in UK jails

TWO brothers of Albanian heritage, including one who fled the UK in an attempt to evade justice, have been convicted in connection with a violent incident that saw two others stabbed.

Sabajet Shuti, 31, of Upney Lane, Barking, east London, was sentenced to life imprisonment to serve a minimum of 27 years following a hearing at Southwark Crown Court on 27 June 2025.

Shuti had been found guilty of murdering 27-year-old Lumturi Zeqja (below) also of Albanian heritage, along with possession of a knife and GBH relating to a second man at the conclusion of a trial at the same court on 14 April.

Shuti’s brother, Emirlion Shuti, 30, of Blake Avenue, Barking was found guilty of affray during the same trial. He received a 20-month sentence, suspended for two years.

Sabajet Shuti was jailed as Reform UK leader Nigel Farage became embroiled in a row with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama about the levels of his citizens in British jails.

Mr Rama promised to take back all Albanian prisoners if Farage was right about the ratio of Albanian prisoners in the UK.

He added that he would welcome the Clacton MP to his country as his "guest of honour" as long as he promised never to badmouth it again.

The feud started when Farage accused Rama of hypocrisy over comments he made about Britain having become a "dark place" after Brexit, claiming that one in 50 Albanians in Britain were in prison.

Farage called on Rama to "show some goodwill and take them all back tomorrow", which prompted Rama to take to social media to refute Farage's claims.

Mr Rama wrote on social media: "Let’s both bring our numbers to the table. If your 'one in 50' claim holds water, I will personally commit to taking them all back.

"That’s not a competing headline, it’s a public pledge. But if your scary stat turns out to be just tabloid fuel, then no apology needed. No drama.

"Instead, you’ll come to Albania, as my guest of honor. You’ll get real sun, real hospitality, and even more real facts, about Albania and its fabulous people.

"All I ask in return is the simplest public pledge from you, made while enjoying our country: next time someone badmouths Albanians, you’ll be the first to tell them, in your histrionic way, not to do it again."

There are an estimated 140,000 people of Albanians heritage or nationality living in the UK, according to a June 2023 Parliamentary report. The 2021 census recorded 67,957 residents of England and Wales who were born in Albania.

With around 1,200 Albanians in British jails, Farage's figure would be close based on the census, but not the report.

As the row played out in the media, the Met Police released details of Shuti's conviction.

Barking has a high number of people of Albanian heritage, after many arrived in the 1990s.

In some cases people falsely claimed to be from Kosovo and felling the Kosovan war, in order to claim asylum.

As a result, many people of Albanian heritage there will have been born here and may have British or dual citizenship.

Barking and its Gascoigne estate are home to the notorious Hellbanianz, Albanian crime and rap gang that have flaunted drugs and money on social media.

The court heard how Sabajet Shuti launched his fatal attack on the evening of 16 October 2022 in Church Lane, Leytonstone.

Lumturi was standing outside a café with his friend when the Shuti brothers arrived at around 22:40hrs in two cars. The brothers went to a separate café but shortly after Emirlion Shuti returned to one of the cars and began to drive it erratically along the road, revving the engine and causing a disturbance.

Lumturi’s friend approached Emirlion and told him to stop but instead of doing this, Emirlion got out of the car and spoke to his brother and others who were outside the neighbouring café. The situation quickly escalated after Emirlion Shuti (above top) threw a punch at Lumturi’s friend. During the ensuing altercation Sabajet Shuti produced a knife and stabbed Lumturi twice, and his friend once.

Both Shuti brothers then fled the scene leaving Lumturi collapsed and dying on the pavement. The emergency services attended but despite their efforts they could not save him. His friend was taken to hospital for emergency surgery and thankfully survived the attack.

Detectives began to piece together evidence and from accessing CCTV and mobile phone footage were able to identify who was responsible.

The day after the murder, Sabajet Shuti (above below) made plans to leave the UK. He changed his appearance by shaving off his beard and then travelled to Folkestone before crossing the Channel into France. A warrant for his arrest was issued and around a year after the attack, on 3 October 2023 Sabajet Shuti was arrested in Sweden. He was extradited back to the UK to face the consequences of his actions.

In the intervening period, detectives had arrested and charged Emirlion Shuti for his role in the attack.

Detective Inspector Brett Hagen who led the investigation said: “Sabajet Shuti went to great lengths to try and evade justice, fleeing the country and regularly changing location in an attempt to avoid being arrested.

“However, his efforts were in vain as while he was on the run, our team of tenacious detectives had built a file of evidence and, working in liaison with international law enforcement colleagues, the net closed in on him.

“The level of violence Sabejet Shuti used was completely unnecessary – he went out that night armed with a knife so had clear intent of causing someone significant harm if the chance arose.

“His actions cost Lumturi Zeqja his life and has caused untold pain to his family and friends. While nothing I can say can alleviate their suffering, I hope they can take some small measure of comfort in seeing the Shuti brothers held to account for their actions.”