Moroccan man confesses to murder of Austrian deejay on Koh Phangan: Police

The suspect, identified as Anas Rakib (above), has been arrested over the murder of 42-year-old deejay Max Hartl who was murdered on Phangan island. - The Nation

BANGKOK: A Moroccan national has been arrested in connection with the murder of an Austrian deejay on Phangan island in Surat Thani province.

The suspect was identified as Anas Rakib, 37, who police said was a friend of the 42-year-old deejay, Max Hartl.

Hartl’s body was found on Thursday (Feb 22) beside a small road at the foot of a hill. He had suffered extensive blunt force trauma to his head and face.

Police said witnesses pointed to Rakib as the perpetrator, saying he was the last person to be with the victim before he was found dead. The suspect was arrested on Friday and was questioned by senior provincial officers at Koh Pha-ngan district police station.

Hartl’s sister Martina Shelley told police that he had worked as a deejay at a food shop on the island for seven years. She said that before he was murdered, the victim had been partying with eight or nine friends at his home at the foot of the hill.

Shelley suspected that her brother might have been involved in an argument with some of his friends that led to his murder.

Pol Colonel Sirichai Suksart, deputy chief of the Surat Thani police, said on Friday that the suspect admitted that the two had quarrelled after the party and confessed to the murder.

Sirichai headed the questioning with the participation of the superintendent of Koh Pha-ngan district police station, Pol Colonel Panya Nirattimanont. Sirichai told the media that he was assigned by his supervisors to oversee the investigation.

He said initial investigations found that the victim and the suspect knew each other and had been drinking together at Hartl’s house before getting into a major argument.

Rakib was the only suspect in this case, according to the officer.

“The suspect claimed that he asked to leave but the house owner did not let him go, so they started quarrelling,” Sirichai said.

He added that Rakib told investigators he left the house but the victim followed him and they had a fight by the side of the road. The suspect claimed he used a steel object from the victim’s pickup truck to hit him repeatedly until he stopped moving. The suspect also suffered injuries to his head and neck.

“We are gathering evidence to charge [the suspect] with murder,” the officer said. - The Nation/ANN