- Illustrative photo: iStock
BUDAPEST: An Irish man was detained in Hungary on suspicion of murdering his 43-year-old Japanese ex-wife, the mother of their two children, police said on Tuesday (Feb 4).
The charred body of the victim -- whose name was not revealed by authorities -- was found in a burned-out apartment in central Budapest last Wednesday (Jan 29), and investigators initially did not suspect foul play.
According to Hungarian police the ex-husband, who was in town to visit the children, had alerted the emergency services, but signs suggested the fire was caused by the victim smoking in her bed.
But a women's rights organisation cast doubt on these conclusions, calling for "a thorough investigation" saying that they had been in contact with the woman when asked them for legal help in 2023.
"She was terrified of her ex-husband, who has abused her for a long time and wanted to return to her native country with her children, which the father did not consent to, even though he did not live in Hungary" Patent Association said in a statement on Saturday.
According to the NGO, she reported him for threatening behaviour to the police multiple times, but all of her complaints were dismissed.
Her friends also pointed out that the Japanese woman did not smoke.
Police dismissed concerns in a Facebook post on Sunday, but suddenly changed course the very next day calling up the counter-terrorism force to detain the 43-year ex-husband.
Investigators discovered that the suspect, after leaving the apartment with the children in the morning, had returned to the scene in changed clothes and wearing a balaclava to conceal his face.
He then killed his ex-wife before returning again in a different outfit and alerting the emergency services to the fire, the police said in a statement.
The autopsy had revealed "signs of assault", it added.
The suspect denies killing his ex-wife.
During questioning, the Irish man said that he met his ex-wife in the United States 25 years ago, they got married in 2002, and lived in multiple countries before settling down in Hungary in 2013.
In 2020, their relationship deteriorated and he moved to the Netherlands, before they divorced in 2023.
Around 200 people attended a vigil on Tuesday evening placing flowers and candles near the building.
The commemoration was organised by the Patent Association, which stressed that it is "not an isolated tragedy", but "a systemic social crisis that deepens with every case that is hushed up and covered up". - AFP
