A year after his arrest in Gateshead, police continue to investigate a suspect linked to the Rwandan genocide, focusing on serious allegations from 1994.
Gateshead: A man arrested last year is still a suspect in the Rwandan genocide case. This investigation looks into the mass murder of civilians that happened 30 years ago.
The Metropolitan Police’s War Crimes team arrested the 69-year-old man at a property in Gateshead. He was taken to a Newcastle police station for questioning about genocide and crimes against humanity, then released on bail.
As of now, the suspect remains on police bail while investigations continue. The genocide in Rwanda led to the deaths of around 800,000 people in just 100 days during the civil war in 1994.
Rwandan officials report that mass graves are still being discovered in their country, which is over 6,000 miles from Gateshead. The War Crimes Team started new investigations after receiving referrals in 2018 about alleged crimes committed by six individuals back in 1994.
According to a police spokesman, they are actively looking into these allegations. Since 2020, officers have conducted several interviews, but no arrests or charges have been made yet. They have gathered many witness statements and sent officers to Rwanda for further inquiries.
Investigating such serious allegations from the past is complex. The police are working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service to move things along. One investigation is advanced, with a file submitted to the CPS in late 2023. Another arrest related to this case happened in January 2024 in Gateshead.
