Iceland gripped by rare murder case as woman’s body is found
Two Greenlandic sailors aged 25 and 30 were arrested in connection with disappearance of Birna Brjansdottir, 20, who was later found dead on a beach south of Reykjavik.
Iceland was in shock after the young woman went missing on 14 January after a night of drinking in Reykjavik’s bars for eight days and was found dead on a beach, sparking a rare murder case that has gripped the nation. Nearly 725 volunteers took part in the biggest search and rescue operation in Icelandic history, according to media.
Police said in a statement on Sunday they were treating the case as murder although “currently it is not possible to determine the cause of death”.
Iceland has one of the world’s lowest crime rates. Homicides are extremely rare and police patrol the streets unarmed.
Surveillance footage around 5 a.m. showed her making her way through snowy and foggy streets by herself and buying a kebab.
Her shoes were found in the port of Hafnarfjordur, south of Reykjavik, not far from the dock where a Greenlandic trawler, the Polar Nanoq, was moored.
Video surveillance cameras also showed a small red car, a Kia Rio, parked near the vessel around 6.30 a.m. – identical to a vehicle observed near the spot where Brjansdottir was last seen.
The Polar Nanoq lifted anchor a few hours after Brjansdottir went missing but members of Iceland’s elite police force, known as the Viking Squad, flew out to the ship by helicopter to question the crew.
The ship returned to Reykjavik and two sailors were taken into custody.
Traces of Brjansdottir’s blood were later found in the red car, which had been rented by the sailors, authorities said.
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Source: The Guardian
