Suspect in Northern Irishman's Murder Arrested in Portugal

In an Airbnb in Braga. That is where the fugitive sought for the murder of John George in Rojales was hiding. The family of the 37-year-old Northern Irishman reported his disappearance on December 21, and the Civil Guard found his lifeless body, which had gunshot wounds to the chest and head, on January 7 in a lemon grove in the Vega Baja municipality. More than three months after the discovery of the body, the alleged murderer's escape has come to an end, according to sources close to the investigation.

Hours after the body was found, the Civil Guard arrested the first suspect in the crime, a 32-year-old Czech citizen who appeared in the Torrevieja courts and was released on provisional liberty with precautionary measures, investigated as a presumed perpetrator of a homicide in the degree of necessary cooperation or complicity. His statement was crucial for the Civil Guard to locate John George's body, according to the Armed Institute.

However, the alleged main perpetrator had vanished. The Court of Instruction number 2 of Torrevieja issued several search and arrest warrants that have borne fruit. The apprehended individual, J.S., 26 years old and originally from Belfast, will have to testify before the Court of Appeal of Guimarães to assess his arrest and the extradition request to Spain, as reported by the Portuguese Police, who also indicated that the fugitive hid in several countries, supposedly located in the Middle East and Asia, before being located in the neighbouring country.

The arrest took place within the framework of 'Operation Resilient', carried out by the Territorial Team of the Pilar Horadada Judicial Police.