British Hitman Sentenced to Life for Albanian Blood Feud Killing
In a chilling incident during the spring of 2023, a man disguised as a delivery driver entered a five-star hotel in an Albanian seaside resort. He calmly greeted the owner, who was enjoying his morning coffee, before firing six shots at point-blank range with a Soviet-made automatic pistol. The brutal assassination, captured on CCTV, marked the seventh murder in a three-decade-long blood feud between two families in the Balkan nation.
The Sinister Tradition of the Kanun
This killing was driven by the ancient Albanian custom codified in the 15th-century legal text known as the Kanun. Under this code, families are obligated to avenge the murder of a relative by killing a male member of the perpetrator's family, perpetuating a relentless cycle of violence. However, this particular blood feud murder represented a significant departure: it was the first such operation led by British individuals.
The gunman, Ruben Saraiva, was raised in the Home Counties. Prosecutors allege he was assisted by a four-person UK hit squad that acted as his surveillance team, which included a young mother from Bristol. The alleged mastermind behind the murder is also a UK-based member of an Albanian family who believed the victim, Ardian Nikulaj, had shot one of their relatives 26 years earlier.
Origins of a Deadly Feud
The feud between the families reportedly began in 1997 following a dispute over an unpaid £15 petrol bill, which led to the killing of a member of Nikulaj's family. This sparked a chain of retaliatory violence that has continued for decades. According to a source involved in the investigation, costs have escalated dramatically, with Saraiva and his alleged accomplices suspected of being offered a share of up to £1 million by unidentified figures in the UK who are believed to have financed the operation.
Prosecutors assert that the British gang was selected because Nikulaj, a father of four, was vigilant against local assassins but would never have suspected danger from visitors from England. Saraiva, who grew up in Reading from the age of four, has now been jailed for life without parole.
The Execution and Aftermath
Saraiva lay in wait for several days in a nearby apartment block stairwell while his alleged accomplices checked into Nikulaj's Coral hotel in the northern Albanian resort of Shengjin. Posing as tourists, they reportedly spied on Nikulaj and his family before issuing the order for the gunman to strike. After the shooting, Saraiva fled on a waiting motorbike as Nikulaj's wife rushed down from their apartment to find her husband dead in his seat, surrounded by screaming staff.
This week, Saraiva stood in a glass-fronted dock just feet from Nikulaj's wife in a cramped Albanian court. Judge Lirim Bulica found him guilty of premeditated murder in collaboration with others and sentenced him to life without parole. He is expected to spend the rest of his life in a high-security prison alongside Albania's most notorious organised crime bosses.
The Hitman's Background and Downfall
Saraiva is the son of Portuguese parents—a former footballer turned telemarketer father and a nurse mother—described by family sources as kind and hard-working people who were astonished by their son's actions. Despite living almost his entire life in the UK, Saraiva was deported to Portugal after his sentence because his parents had never applied for UK citizenship. Relatives say he understands but does not speak Portuguese.
His life took a dark turn in his late teens when he was caught selling cocaine and heroin in Wokingham, receiving a suspended sentence in 2013. He later served time for wounding with intent after stabbing a teenager during a knife fight. Family members believe it was during his imprisonment that he first made contact with the Albanian underworld.
The Plot Unfolds
Saraiva flew from London to Tirana in February 2023, two months before the murder. CCTV shows he was met at the airport by Edmond Haxhia, the alleged mastermind of the plot. Haxhia, originally from Albania but based in Birmingham, had returned to the country in November 2022 to get engaged. Prosecutors told the court that Haxhia is a first cousin of the Lekstakaj family, which is embroiled in the long-running feud with the Nikulaj family.
Before the attack, Saraiva stayed in a house owned by Haxhia in Kakariq, a village near Shengjin. Locals said he told them he planned to marry an Albanian and began learning the language. A month after his arrival, he and Haxhia purchased a motorcycle in Tirana using the ID of Haxhia's then-fiancée. Saraiva used the bike to conduct reconnaissance on the hotel multiple times before the killing.
The Surveillance Operation
Meanwhile, Nikulaj and his family welcomed a group of Britons they believed to be tourists at their newly opened hotel. These individuals are alleged to include Harriet Bridgeman, who Nikulaj's wife later said kept trying to make eye contact with her husband. Another British man, Harry Simpson, checked into a nearby hotel, befriending the family's 13-year-old son and frequently drinking in the hotel bar.
On the day of the shooting, Saraiva filled up his motorbike at a nearby petrol station, wearing a helmet, fluorescent vest, mask, and gloves to hide distinctive tattoos. He parked in his usual spot and waited for two hours. Prosecutors allege Simpson was seen repeatedly approaching and leaving the hotel veranda. At 1:17 pm, Simpson was observed speaking on his phone while drinking a beer. Five minutes later, Saraiva entered and fired six bullets, hitting Nikulaj in the head, torso, and arms.
Escape and Extradition
After the shooting, Saraiva sprinted away and sped off on his motorbike, which was later found dumped in a river near land belonging to Haxhia. He left Albania eight hours later, crossing the land border to Greece on foot. Simpson and Haxhia both flew back to the UK shortly after the attack. Saraiva traveled from Greece to Morocco, where he was tracked down by Albanian police and extradited in late December 2023.
At his trial, prosecutors presented evidence including Saraiva's DNA on a hijab recovered from the trunk of a rental car used by Haxhia—possibly intended as a disguise—and on chewing gum found at Haxhia's house. His DNA was also discovered in the hotel room where Simpson stayed. Despite his lawyer's arguments that no direct forensic evidence linked him to the crime scene, the judge found Saraiva guilty.
Ongoing Threats and Legal Battles
In an extraordinary twist, sources reveal that Saraiva now requires heavy protection in prison because intelligence suggests the shadowy UK figures who funded Nikulaj's assassination have placed a £500,000 bounty on his head to prevent him from revealing their identities. Speaking to the Mail, Saraiva improbably continued to protest his innocence, insisting he had only visited Albania to have fun.
Back in the UK, Bridgeman, Simpson, Haxhia, and other suspects—arrested after their return home—are engaged in a lengthy legal battle to avoid extradition to Albania to face trial. They all deny any wrongdoing.
The Unending Cycle of Violence
Tragically, the blood feud continues. Since Nikulaj's murder, there have been two further killings, one from each family, bringing the total number of victims to nine. Nikulaj's relatives fear more violence, with his brother reportedly warned of a £1.7 million bounty on his head. Enemies in the UK are said to be scouring the globe for another hitman.
One of Nikulaj's young adult daughters told the Mail that she and her sister live in constant fear, worried that if they have children, they too may become victims of the feud. As she poignantly stated, It's a never-ending story.
