London police make arrest in 2008 murder of Norwegian

Martine Vik Magnussen, 23, was found dead in the basement of a block of flats in central London; Yemeni Farouk Abdulhak is the chief suspect. (Met Police)

• Police said a woman in her 60s was arrested in central London on suspicion of assisting an offender and was taken into custody
• A Yemeni man, Farouk Abdulhak, was identified as a suspect in the murder of Martine Vik Magnussen – he fled Britain, traveled to Egypt and then on to Yemen

LONDON: London police investigating the 2008 murder of a Norwegian student on Tuesday said they had made an arrest, as they urged a Yemeni suspect who fled the country to give himself up.
Martine Vik Magnussen, 23, was found dead in the basement of a block of flats in central London, after a night out partying at a private members club popular with celebrities.
A Yemeni man, Farouk Abdulhak, was quickly identified as a suspect for her murder but fled Britain, traveling to Egypt then on to Yemen.
Police on Monday said a woman in her 60s was arrested in central London on suspicion of assisting an offender and was taken into custody.
The victim’s father, Odd Petter Magnussen, said he welcomed what he called a “very interesting” development, adding that he felt the case was “closer than ever to a conclusion.”
“Small details can put considerably more pressure on the suspect and his family,” he told broadcaster NRK.
“I have no information other than that (the arrested woman) is neither Norwegian nor English,” Magnussen said, adding that he believed the arrested woman “would have helped the suspect in his escape.”
Magnussen is due to visit the UK this week to mark the 14th anniversary of his daughter’s death.
Detective Chief Inspector Jim Eastwood, leading the investigation, said the development “represents a positive step,” but note that there was “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,” he said, promising to do everything to bring him back to Britain.
“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.”
Magnussen and Abdulhak were both students at the private Regent’s University London — then known as Regent’s College — and knew each other socially.
He was also well known to her friends.
Abdulhak, who was 21 at the time and had lived in London since childhood, stayed at the flat in Great Portland Street, near Regent’s Park, where her body was found on March 16, 2008.
A post-mortem examination gave the cause of death as compression to the neck. She had also been raped.
At an inquest in 2010, a coroner ruled that she was unlawfully killed.