Murder of Seychellois political exile Gerard Hoarau |04 August 2018

77-year-old man arrested in Antrim

Thirty-two years after the death of Seychellois political exile Gerard Hoarau, a 77-year-old man has been arrested in County Antrim in the northeast of Northern Ireland.

Officers from the Metropolitan Police's counter terrorism command, helped by the Police Service of Northern Ireland, arrested the man on Thursday.

Scotland Yard said the 77-year-old suspect was taken to a police station in south London for questioning on suspicion of conspiracy to murder.

Leader of the Mouvement Pour La Résistance (MPR) which sought to overthrow France Albert René’s government which had come to power in a coup d'état on June 5, 1977, Hoarau was gunned down on his doorstep in Edgware, north London on November 29, 1985. He was 34 years old.

His killer fired 11 times, striking Mr Hoarau with three bullets, according to the original investigation which was carried out by Scotland Yard’s counterterrorism unit.

Police have never solved his murder, but the René government was highly implicated.

Several individuals were previously arrested in connection with Mr Hoarau’s assassination, but no charges followed. Three people were convicted of perverting the course of justice by meddling with the investigation in 1986.

The trail then went cold for decades, prompting a review in 2016.

The 77-year-old man detained this week had not previously been arrested as part of the investigation.

A statement released by the Metropolitan Police, reads: "A review of the investigation was initiated in 2016 from which fresh lines of inquiry were established, leading to today's arrest."