Detectives investigating the 2008 murder of a Norwegian student feared to have been killed by a billionaire playboy who fled the UK have made an apparent breakthrough.
Martine Vik Magnussen, 23, was found dead among rubble in a basement in Great Portland Street, Westminster, central London, after a night out with friends.
The group of students from the Regent’s Business School had been celebrating finishing their end-of-term exams at the Maddox nightclub in Mayfair, but Ms Magnussen vanished and her body was found two days later.
The prime suspect for her rape and murder is Farouk Abdulhak, who fled to Yemen within hours of her death.
On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Police said officers had arrested a woman aged in her 60s on suspicion of assisting an offender.
Detective Chief Inspector Jim Eastwood said: “Martine’s family has never given up their fight for justice and in the 14 years since her death they have campaigned tirelessly to keep her in the public consciousness.
“Martine’s family has been informed of this latest development. Though it represents a positive step, there is still much more work for us to do.
“Most importantly, Farouk Abdulhak should be aware that this matter has not, and will not, go away.
“My team and I will continue to seek justice and use all opportunities available to pursue him and bring him back to the UK. His status as a wanted man will remain and we will not cease in our efforts to get justice for Martine’s family.
“I’m appealing to Farouk Abdulhak directly: Come back to the UK. Come back to face justice.
“Since Martine’s death, her family has shown true determination, together with my investigation team, as we want to provide some closure for Martine’s family.”
On the night she died, Ms Magnussen left the Maddox nightclub with Abdulhak at around 2am, and her body was found two days later in the basement of the building where he lived.
A post-mortem examination gave her cause of death as compression to the neck, and in November 2010 an inquest recorded a verdict of unlawful killing.
Anyone with information can contact police on 020 8358 0300 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
