Colombian police on Monday said that a reward had led them to the suspected killers of a noted Italian scientist whose dismembered remains were found scattered around the Caribbean resort city of Santa Marta in April.
Alessandro Coatti, 42, worked for Britain’s Royal Society of Biology as a science policy officer whose job included giving evidence to parliament, before leaving that post last year to travel in South America.
Part of his body was found in a suitcase on a riverbank on April 6. Other remains were later found in other locations.
Photo: AFP
Coatti had arrived in Santa Marta, a city that acts as a gateway to idyllic palm-lined Caribbean beaches and the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountain range, as a tourist.
Police said he was lured by a gang that planned to rob him to an abandoned house in the city, through a dating app for the LGBTQ community.
Santa Marta Mayor Carlos Pinedo on Sunday said that four people suspected of his murder and dismemberment had been arrested in raids in the Colombian capital, Bogota, the second city of Medellin, as well as in Santa Marta and the town of Arjona, near the port city of Cartagena.
At a news conference on Monday, Santa Marta Police Chief Colonel Jaime Rios said that the police had received a tip-off, which led them to a house where traces of blood were found.
“Through arduous investigative work, interviews were conducted, biological traces belonging to the victim were collected, and security camera footage was analyzed, which were all key to solving the case,” he said.
The gruesome killing of Coatti, described by colleagues at the Royal Society of Biology as a “passionate and dedicated” scientist, caused shock in Colombia.
Pinedo had offered a reward of 50 million pesos (US$12,243) for information leading to the capture of his killers.
Rios said the reward had led to a breakthrough in the investigation.
The Sierra Nevada mountains are home to a drug-running paramilitary gang known as the “Conquistadors of the Sierra Nevada.”
It is not known if they had a hand in Coatti’s murder, but they have been linked to the murder and dismemberment of others in recent years.
PARLIAMENT CHAOS: Police forcibly removed Brazilian Deputy Glauber Braga after he called the legislation part of a ‘coup offensive’ and occupied the speaker’s chair Brazil’s lower house of Congress early yesterday approved a bill that could slash former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro’s prison sentence for plotting a coup, after efforts by a lawmaker to disrupt the proceedings sparked chaos in parliament. Bolsonaro has been serving a 27-year term since last month after his conviction for a scheme to stop Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office after the 2022 election. Lawmakers had been discussing a bill that would significantly reduce sentences for several crimes, including attempting a coup d’etat — opening up the prospect that Bolsonaro, 70, could have his sentence cut to
A plan by Switzerland’s right-wing People’s Party to cap the population at 10 million has the backing of almost half the country, according to a poll before an expected vote next year. The party, which has long campaigned against immigration, argues that too-fast population growth is overwhelming housing, transport and public services. The level of support comes despite the government urging voters to reject it, warning that strict curbs would damage the economy and prosperity, as Swiss companies depend on foreign workers. The poll by newspaper group Tamedia/20 Minuten and released yesterday showed that 48 percent of the population plan to vote
A powerful magnitude 7.6 earthquake shook Japan’s northeast region late on Monday, prompting tsunami warnings and orders for residents to evacuate. A tsunami as high as three metres (10 feet) could hit Japan’s northeastern coast after an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 7.6 occurred offshore at 11:15 p.m. (1415 GMT), the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. Tsunami warnings were issued for the prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate, and a tsunami of 40cm had been observed at Aomori’s Mutsu Ogawara and Hokkaido’s Urakawa ports before midnight, JMA said. The epicentre of the quake was 80 km (50 miles) off the coast of
Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro on Friday said that his father, jailed former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, has chosen him to lead the country’s powerful conservative movement, shaking up next year’s election race. The 44-year-old senator said on social media that he will carry forward the political legacy that reshaped Brazilian politics. His announcement makes him an instant contender for the presidency. Jair Bolsonaro, 70, is unlikely to run after being sentenced to 27 years for plotting a coup and banned from public office. He is appealing and seeking a legislative pardon. The former president also faces serious health issues, including complications from a
RSS