Police in Colombia have arrested the alleged main suspect in the murder of 13 kidnapped workers at a gold mine in neighbouring Peru.
Miguel Antonio Rodríguez Díaz, whose alias is “Cuchillo” (knife), was arrested in the city of Medellin in a joint operation between the two countries and Interpol, according to Peru’s interior ministry and Colombian police.
The bodies of the miners were recovered on 4 May from a tunnel at a mine in the Pataz district of Peru.
A lawyer for Mr Diaz has denied his involvement in the killings.
Peru is one of the largest gold producers in Latin America and has seen a surge in violence from illegal miners and organised criminal gangs.
The 13 men killed in Pataz had been sent to confront a group which had attacked and occupied the mine but were ambushed and seized as they were trying to regain control of it, Peruvian authorities said.
Mr Diaz is suspected of allegedly ordering the storming of the mine’s entrance, with the aim of stealing gold extracted by miners, Peru’s interior ministry said in a statement.
He is accused of “organised crime, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated homicide”, it added.
A video posted by authorities showed him being detained by armed police in a busy downtown area of Medellin.
Colombian police chief Carlos Triana said Mr Diaz was located with the support of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and was subject to an Interpol red notice.
Peru’s interior ministry said they expected Mr Diaz to be extradited to Peru in the coming days.
La Poderosa, which owns the mine where the murders took place, previously said 39 people with links to the company have been killed by criminal gangs in Pataz in total.
This most recent attack prompted Peru’s President Dina Boluarte to impose a night-time curfew in Pataz and to suspend mining activities for a month. Extra police and soldiers were also sent to the region.
