Dutch murder suspects arrested in Shrewsbury
Two men suspected of killing an elderly woman in Holland have been arrested in Shropshire by police investigating an attempted burglary.
Officers arrested them within minutes of receiving a call from a householder in Castlefields, Shrewsbury reporting two men behaving suspiciously near her home.
They traced the two nearby and had sufficient evidence to charge them with attempted burglary.
Following their arrest, it was established the men, aged 45 and 32, were wanted by Dutch police in connection with the murder of a 90-year-old woman at her home in Limburg region, in south eastern Holland. They are also suspected of burglary in Holland.
A European arrest warrant was issued and the men, who are Hungarian and Romanian nationals, are now awaiting extradition to Holland.
Detective Chief Inspector Alan Edwards, the head of Shropshire CID, said: "They were arrested by local officers on October 6 following a report of two men acting suspiciously at a home in Shrewsbury. The men were seen leaving the premises on pushbikes.
"Our inquiries linked them with aggravated homicide and burglary offences inThe Apollo bike Holland and we liaised closely with Dutch police, who sent two officers to Shrewsbury following the arrests.
"We provided assistance and the men, who appeared before Shrewsbury magistrates on October 8 charged with attempted burglary with intent to steal, were remanded in prison.
"They are now in custody at Malinsgate police station, Telford, awaiting transfer to London and extradition to Holland in the next few days."
DCI Edwards said officers in Shropshire would continue to provide assistance to the Dutch police.
"We are particularly anxious to establish how they came to be riding bikes. They had only been in Shrewsbury a short time and may have either stolen the bikes, bought them, or even traded some of their belongings for them. It's something of a mystery at the moment.
"I'm appealing for the previous owners to contact Shrewsbury police station on 101 or to call the anonymous Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111. If the bikes were stolen it's possible they are not even aware they're missing if they were stored away in a shed or outbuilding for the winter. We do need to establish how these two men came to be in possession of the bikes."
