Swedish police help arrest Libyan suspect for 2003 Rotterdam murder

A 51-year-old from Libya has been arrested by Dutch and Swedish police for a murder in Rotterdam in 2003. The date and time of the arrest was not announced.

The victim of the murder was a 33-year-old from Tunisia. His body was found on September 14, 2003, on the Duivenvoordestraat in the Middelland district after it was reported via the alarm number 112. The man’s death came as a result of violence.

DNA was secured from a suspected perpetrator after the murder. This resulted in a match in Sweden in 2019 after DNA was taken from a suspect. Why the DNA was taken cannot be shared for privacy reasons, the Public Prosecution Service says.

Despite the match, the man could not be found. Since then, he has been internationally wanted and could still be arrested. The man was extradited to the Netherlands. His pre-trial detention was extended by two weeks on Monday.

The Public Prosecution Service said that they are pleased with the arrest. “The investigation has accelerated significantly with this arrest and will now continue unabated.”