Inset: Naqibullah Habibzoi speaking in a TikTok video (@khosti2002/TikTok). Background: The 9100 block of Dartbrook Drive in San Antonio, Texas, where Naqibullah Habibzoi allegedly shot and killed Awal Noor Kiftan (WLTX).
A man from Texas has been accused of fatally shooting a previous coworker due to a $31,000 debt that the coworker owed him. After the incident, he allegedly took to TikTok to boast, which reportedly aided the investigators in locating him, as per police reports.
Naqibullah Habibzoi, 23, residing in Houston, was apprehended on Thursday by the San Antonio police. He faces charges of murder concerning the fatal shooting of Awal Noor Kiftan on May 31 outside Kiftan’s apartment on the Northwest Side, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
An arrest affidavit for Habibzoi, which was acquired by a local newspaper, describes how he purportedly took to social media platforms after shooting Kiftan multiple times. He allegedly boasted about the act, with his account and username, @khosti2002, being verified by the police as well as the Express-News — and it remained active as of Sunday afternoon.
“If you wrong us, consequences will follow,” Habibzoi allegedly wrote in one post, according to police reports. “We always avenge,” he allegedly mentioned in another post, as noted by the Express-News.
Additionally, Habibzoi allegedly admitted in a phone call captured by police investigators, during which he bragged about how he “finished him” — referring to Kiftan — over the alleged debt.
“Swears he did it with his hands,” the affidavit said about Habibzoi’s alleged phone comments. “His heart is pleased and satisfied,” the document adds.
Naqibullah Habibzoi’s alleged TikTok profile that helped cops catch him, according to police (@khosti2002/TikTok).
Phone records show Habibzoi traveling from Houston to San Antonio on the day of Kiftan’s murder. Officers responded to Kiftan’s apartment in Bexar County at around 11 p.m. and found him dead outside. A friend told police they were at his residence with Kiftan when someone called him over the phone and told Kiftan to come outside, that a woman was there to meet him for an undisclosed reason.
When Kiftan exited his apartment, Habibzoi allegedly shot him dead.
Cops say Habibzoi went back to Houston after the shooting and began posting on TikTok, which helped lead investigators to him after the social media content was sent to police.
Local CBS affiliate WLTX reports that multiple posts have since been deleted, including one that featured a photo of Kiftan that Habibzoi — who has over 20,000 followers — shared with users. It’s unclear how many followers Habibzoi had before the shooting.
According to WLTX, Habibzoi put up several posts saying his account had been hacked and that he was being framed. Police say evidence that they have collected says otherwise, including license plate readings that show his vehicle traveling back and forth from Houston to San Antonio on the day Kiftan was shot.
Jail records viewed by Law&Crime show Habibzoi being held at the Bexar County Jail without bail. He is charged with murder.
