Dutch man accused of strangling wife in Suriname

Police in Suriname accused a 53-year-old Dutch man of strangling his wife, Gaitrie Jagroep, during their holiday in the country. The man, Mohamed K., claimed his 43-year-old wife tried attacking him with a knife Thursday morning, and he grabbed her throat in self defense.

"With one hand, Mohamed held Gaitrie's hand with the sharp object, and with his other hand he pressed against her throat," a police statement said.

When he saw she was not moving and unresponsive, he called police at 7:30 a.m. to the Nieuwe Grond a district just south of Paramaribo. A police report said Jagroep was found on the floor of the kitchen, where a doctor pronounced her dead.

Investigators found a machete at the scene and took it into evidence. K. said the family was set to fly back to the Netherlands on Thursday. He and his wife fought constantly during their five weeks in Suriname, he told police.

Instead of flying back to the Netherlands, Mohamed K. was being kept in custody in Suriname as the investigation continued. An autopsy was planned.

The couple's young son, aged 4, was with K. when officers arrived. The boy and his parents all have Dutch nationality. He is staying with relatives in Suriname.