Arrest over murder of filmmaker

TWO Chechen citizens have been arrested in France and the Netherlands in connection with the murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh, Amsterdam prosecutors said yesterday.

The suspect in France was arrested on May 18 in the western French city of Tours, and was identified under Dutch privacy rules only as Bislan I. The suspect in Holland, identified as Marad J, was arrested on April 19 in Amsterdam.

Both are believed to have ties with a group of Islamic fundamentalists dubbed the Hofstad network by prosecutors, Mr Meulenbroek said.