A British man has been arrested in Ecuador after the body of a woman was found inside a suitcase in Colombia. Matthew Ashley Foster-Smith, 46, from Bournemouth, Dorset, was detained at Quito international airport in Ecuador's capital.
Details of the Case
Foster-Smith is alleged to have caused the death of 36-year-old Natalia Villalba in an apartment in the Chicó neighbourhood of Bogotá on 18 June, local authorities said. The attorney general's office in Colombia posted on X that Foster-Smith is accused of beating Villalba to death before placing her body in a suitcase, trying to conceal the crime, and fleeing the scene.
Suspect's Claims
Foster-Smith reportedly phoned the Sun a day before his arrest and claimed he had been watching an England World Cup match on television at the time of the incident. 'I was watching England versus Croatia on a big screen in an Irish bar so it wasn't me,' the 46-year-old told the newspaper. 'After the match I went in to the shopping centre, I mooched about, bought an ice-cream, and came back later for the later games.' England's opening World Cup match took place in Dallas, Texas on 17 June. The Sun reported that the suspect made a second call to the newspaper on Friday prior to his arrest, with a source telling the newspaper he had been located via the phone calls he had made.
International Cooperation
Dorset police are said to have been among the authorities that assisted with locating him before he was held at Quito international airport. An arrest warrant had been obtained by prosecutors in Colombia and an Interpol red notice issued, local authorities said. Carlos Fernando Galán, Bogotá's mayor, confirmed Dorset police assisted with the operation. 'This painful case will not go unpunished,' he said.
A spokesperson for the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said: 'We are supporting a British man who has been detained in Ecuador and are in touch with the local authorities.' Dorset police were approached for comment on Sunday.
