Guatemala police ‘murderer’ arrested in Austria
A former Central American police official has been detained in Upper Austria.Javier Figueroa the ex-federal police chief of Guatemala fled to Austria in 2007 after being accused of having been involved in the killing of at least 10 prisoners in 2005 and 2006. The executed convicts were accused of drug trading. Three of them have been on the run from jail, according to non-government organisations (NGO).Guatemalan authorities issued an appeal for the extradition of Figueroa two months ago. He was put in custody in the province of Upper Austria yesterday evening (Mon), prosecutors in Ried im Innkreis confirmed today.If found guilty, Figueroa could be jailed for 30 years. Austrian officials pointed out that juridical decision-makers in his home country promised not to make the death penalty applicable in the case against him.The Austrian constitution does not include that form of punishment and the countrys political elite and many domestic NGOs have campaigned against it in the world for decades. Austrian prosecutors would have rejected the request to extradite the accused ex-senior police commander, reports have disclosed.An Upper Austrian judge will question Figueroa within the next two days before deciding on an extradition of the homicide suspect.