Four held in connection with Rwanda genocide

Four men have been arrested in Britain in connection with the Rwanda genocide in 1994, according to British police.

Scotland Yard said officers arrested the men last night following a request from the Rwandan government for their extradition.

The men were arrested in London, Manchester, Essex and Bedfordshire, all at around 9pm.

All are accused in a provisional extradition warrant of killing members of the Tutsi ethnic group “with the intent to destroy in whole or in part, that group”.

The men are Vincent Bajinya, arrested in Islington, north London; Charles Munyaneza, arrested in Bedford; Celestin Ugirashebuja, arrested in Walton on the Naze, Essex; and Emmanuel Nteziryayo, arrested in Manchester.

All will appear at City of Westminster Magistrates Court later today, police said.

Scotland Yard said the extradition warrants had been issued by City of Westminster Magistrates on Wednesday under Section 73 of the Extradition Act 2003.

The warrants allege that between 1 January 1994 and 12 December 1994, the men:

* Did kill members of the Tutsi ethnic group with the intent to destroy in whole or in part, that group;

* Did conspire with persons known and unknown to kill members of the Tutsi ethnic group with the intent to destroy in whole or in part, that group;

* Did aid and abet persons known and unknown to kill members of the Tutsi ethnic group with the intent to destroy in whole or in part, that group.

All the men are believed to be in their 40s or 50s although no further personal details have been given by police.

Bajinya is also known as Dr Vincent Brown.

According to some estimates, up to a million minority Tutsis and politically moderate Hutus were killed in Rwanda from April to July 1994.

It was known that the Rwandan government was seeking extraditions from Britain.

Tharcisse Karugarama, Rwanda’s justice minister, said in November that they had formally requested the British government to hand over four men who were suspected of planning the massacre.

The Rwandan government said the suspects faced charges of planning genocide as well as crimes against humanity.

It is believed that formal requests for extradition were made several months ago and British investigators had also travelled to Rwanda to assess evidence.