Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Met Police arrest suspect in 2000 murder of Sri Lankan journalist

Met Police arrest suspect in 2000 murder of Sri Lankan journalist

British war crimes police have arrested a suspect in connection with the 2000 murder of high-profile Sri Lankan journalist Mylvaganam Nimalrajan during the country's brutal civil war, they said on Thursday.

Officers from London's Metropolitan Police War Crimes team arrested a 48-year-old man in Northamptonshire, on Tuesday and subsequently released him "under investigation", a statement said.


Police appealed to members of the Sri Lankan community for any information that might assist the investigation into the murder of Nimalrajan, who was killed by unidentified gunmen at his home in October 2000.

Nimalrajan was a Tamil journalist based in the northern Jaffna peninsula who reported for various news organisations, including the BBC, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

He was one of the few sources of independent news from Jaffna, a strife-torn area where journalists were rarely allowed free access during the 37-year conflict, the CPJ said.

"This is a significant update in what is a sensitive, complex investigation," said the Met's Richard Smith.

More than 100,000 people are estimated to have been killed in the Sri Lankan civil war pitting the Tamil minority against the Sinhalese majority, which ended in 2009.

International rights groups and UN estimates place the number of Tamil civilians killed by government forces in the final months of war at about 40,000, a figure disputed by Colombo.

Under the UK's "no safe haven" policy, British police can investigate anyone who may fall under the UK's jurisdiction and who is suspected of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide or torture anywhere in the world.

More For You

Brothers deny assaulting police during Manchester Airport brawl

Photo for representation. (iStock)

Brothers deny assaulting police during Manchester Airport brawl

TWO brothers accused of assaulting a man inside a Starbucks and later attacking police officers at Manchester Airport are standing trial, with the prosecution arguing they used "unlawful and extreme violence".

Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, and his older brother Muhammad Amaad, 26, both from Rochdale, are said to have acted aggressively on July 23 last year while at the airport to pick up their mother, who had arrived on a flight from Qatar.

Keep ReadingShow less
Court to review teen's sentence in Bhim Kohli case
Bhim Kohli

Court to review teen's sentence in Bhim Kohli case

THE seven-year prison sentence handed to a 15-year-old boy convicted of the manslaughter of 80-year-old Bhim Sen Kohli is to be reviewed under the UK’s Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme.

The Attorney General’s Office confirmed on Friday (5) that the teenager’s sentence will now be considered by the Court of Appeal.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dalai Lama hopes to live 'beyond 130 years'

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama attends a prayer meet held for his long life at the Dalai Lama temple in the northern hill town of Dharamshala, India, July 5, 2025. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis

Dalai Lama hopes to live 'beyond 130 years'

THE Dalai Lama said on Saturday (5) he hopes to live until he is more than 130 years old, two decades longer than his previous prediction, following his assurance to followers that he would reincarnate as the spiritual head of the faith upon his death.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner was speaking during a ceremony organised by his followers to offer prayers for his long life, ahead of his 90th birthday on Sunday (6), and as China insists it will choose his successor. The Dalai Lama told Reuters in December he might live to 110.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK heatwave by mid-July

Daytime temperatures meeting or exceeding set thresholds of 25°C

iStock

Met Office warns of potential third UK heatwave by mid-July

Key points

  • Met Office forecasts rising temperatures by mid-July
  • Possible third heatwave after record-breaking June
  • High pressure system likely to bring hot air from the Atlantic
  • Yellow rain warning and flood alerts issued in parts of Scotland and Cumbria

Possible heatwave to return by mid-July

The UK could experience its third heatwave in a month by mid-July, the Met Office has said. Forecasters expect rising heat and humidity during the second weekend of July, following two weekends of unusually warm weather in late June.

June was officially the hottest on record in England, and the return of high temperatures could mean another heatwave for parts of the country. However, the Met Office cautioned that it is too early to confirm how hot conditions will get.

Keep ReadingShow less
crypto

Two men have been jailed for defrauding investors of £1.5 million through a fake crypto investment scheme. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Two jailed over £1.5m crypto investment scam

TWO people who duped investors of £1.5 million by selling fake investments in crypto have been jailed for 12 years, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said.

Raymondip Bedi, of Bromley, and Patrick Mavanga, of Peckham, conned at least 65 people by cold-calling them between February 2017 and June 2019. They operated companies including CCX Capital and Astaria Group LLP.

Keep ReadingShow less