Trail of clues: Police officers displaying evidence during a press conference at the local police precinct in Badung, Bali. — AP
Police said they had arrested three Australians, who all face the death penalty, for the murder of a compatriot on the resort island of Bali after a days-long manhunt.
Zivan Radmanovic, a 32-year-old Australian national, was shot dead in the attack on Saturday. A second man, 34-year-old Sanar Ghanim, was seriously wounded.
Police earlier said they were hunting for two men who burst into his villa in the tourist hub of Badung and at least one opened fire.
“Three suspects have been arrested,” Bali police chief Daniel Adityajaya told reporters on Wednesday, adding that several pieces of evidence allegedly used to carry out the shooting were also recovered.
He said the three suspects – all Australian men – were charged with multiple offences, including premeditated murder, which carries a maximum penalty of death, as well as murder and torture resulting in death, which carries a potential seven-year jail term.
One of the suspects was detained at the international airport in the capital Jakarta and flown back to Bali, in cooperation with immigration and national police officials, he said.
“The other two already fled and were successfully returned because of the coordination between Interpol countries in the South-East Asia region,” he added, without specifying the countries involved.
Bali police also showed on Wednesday several pieces of evidence to the media including a hammer, several pieces of clothing, and bullet casings.
Several witnesses, including Radmanovic’s wife, said the perpetrators who fled the scene after the attack were speaking in English with a thick Australian accent, according to a local police statement.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was providing consular assistance to the family of Radmanovic and confirmed three Australians had been detained over the shooting.
“DFAT is aware that three Australians have been detained and we are urgently seeking further information from local authorities,” a spokesperson said. — AFP
