Marriott detectives fly to Israel

Detectives are to travel to Israel to investigate the suspected gangland assassination of man at a top London hotel.

Scotland Yard has named the victim as Yermia Yunataev. He was found in a room on the seventh floor of the Marriott Hotel at Marble Arch.

His body was found on Sunday after Kent police discovered blood-stained clothing and a compliments slip from the Marriott dumped by a road near the Channel Tunnel terminal in Folkestone.

Police believe his killers arrived in Britain from France, travelled to London to commit the murder and then escaped again within 24 hours. Detectivessay they want to travel to Israel to establish further details of the victim's background. Police have found relatives of the man in Britain but there is still doubt over his identity.

An Israeli foreign ministry source said: "The doubt isn't over whether he was Israeli, it's not quite clear what his name is. We do not know what he has been involved in. Usually in the event of the death of an Israeli citizen abroad, we are asked to inform the family. But in this case we believe the close family is residing in Britain, maybe in the London area." Detectives in London believe the victim was linked to criminal activity, probably international drugs networks. While they do not believe he was a major player, Yunataev went to great lengths to conceal his identity.

He booked into the Marriott with a false Greek passport and had at least one other passport in another nationality. Sources in Israel say documents written in Hebrew were later found in his clothing. He did not have a job and appeared not to have a home address in Britain but was a

frequent visitor to casinos in London.

Police are refusing to reveal certain details of the manner of his death.

Preliminary tests indicated that the victim died of asphyxiation but a full post-mortem examination failed to confirm a cause of death. Officers are now waiting for toxicology results.

However, it is believed that he was strangled or suffocated and may have been beaten before his death.

The man, who police can only say is in his forties, arrived in a black cab at the Marriott Hotel on Sunday evening and was last seen leaving the bar at 9.50pm when he went upstairs in the lift. He was

found dead in his room the next day. Police sources say the murder is an indication of how criminals are increasingly operating across international borders.

Detective Superintendent Sue Hill said: "We have got a number of leads but so far we are keeping an open mind about the motive." She appealed in particular to the driver of the taxi who dropped Yunataev off at the hotel to contact them. Anyone with information should call 020 7321 7228 or ring Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.