[5] Standing six feet tall and considered handsome on account of his exotic mixed-ethnic looks, Andre Shoukri was briefly on the books of a Templepatrick modelling agency in his youth.
[6] Both were for a while imprisoned for extortion after demanding money with menace from a café owner and whilst in prison they became friendly with Adair, who was also incarcerated at the time.
[5] As the brothers' profile grew in the area, they soon assumed a leading role within their brigade and in 2002 led an internal coup to oust Simpson and install Andre Shoukri as North Belfast brigadier.
[10] Under Shoukri's command, the North Belfast Brigade took a close involvement in clashes at sectarian interfaces during the middle of 2001 and the group was responsible for the killing of teenager Gavin Brett in Glengormley.
Brett, a Protestant, had been talking with friends outside St Enda's GAC when he was shot in a drive-by shooting, his assailants assuming he was a Catholic.
[14] By 2004 Andre Shoukri had returned as Brigadier, following a brief period of leadership by William Borland, and was one of the UDA leaders to meet with Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Paul Murphy in that year.
[15] He was jailed on a total of eighteen charges including the blackmail and extortion of managers of a north Belfast bar [clarification needed] beginning in June 2004.
[19] Following his release from prison he settled in Glengormley, an area of Newtownabbey covered by the UDA South East Antrim Brigade although close to his old North Belfast stronghold.
He appeared in north Belfast on a number of occasions soon after his release and was stopped by police, who feared the development of a power struggle within the local UDA.