Fugitive Kosovan wanted over murder of Brit pensioner and disappearance of his wife is found in Luxembourg
Ali Qazimaj, 42, sparked international manhunt after fleeing the UK following death of OAP Peter Stuart and disappearance of his wife Sylvia
A KOSOVAN migrant wanted in connection with the murder of an OAP and suspected murder of his wife has been arrested.
Ali Qazimaj, 42, sparked an international manhunt after fleeing the country following the stabbing of Peter Stuart, 75, and disappearance of his wife Sylvia, 69.
Peter Stuart's body was discovered in woodlands with numerous stab wounds. His wife Sylvia is believed to also be dead but her body has not yet been found
Suffolk Police confirmed the Eastern European had been tracked down in Luxembourg after travelling to France in a bid to reach Albania.
The forklift truck driver - who goes by the name Marco Costa - was detained after a hostel worker recognised him from a public appeal.
A Suffolk Police spokesman said: "A member of staff working at a hostel in Luxembourg identified Ali Qazimaj through photographs of him on the internet and then alerted authorities who detained him.
related stories
"Detectives from Suffolk are now working with the National Crime Agency, the Crown Prosecution Service and authorities in Luxembourg to seek Ali Qazimaj's extradition following the granting of a European Arrest Warrant relating to the murder of Peter and Sylvia Stuart."
Officers added that Mrs Stuart's disappearance "is now being treated as a murder inquiry".
Mr Stuart’s body was found with multiple stab wounds in woodland 50ft from his home in Weybread, Suffolk, on June 3.
He and Mrs Stuart had been reported missing that day.
Qazimaj was believed to have stayed in the country for three days following the killing.
His silver Citroen C3 was later found abandoned just 100ft from the ferry port at Dover, Kent.
It was later discovered he had boarded a ferry bound for Calais on foot at 7pm on 4 June - the day after police discovered Mr Stuart's body.
Work pals said the takeaway driver, of Grays, Essex - where the Stuarts used to live - begged them for help selling furniture from his flat on Friday because he needed money and was going to Albania.
They warned that the dad, adopted by a Brit family during wars in the Balkans, had boasted of “underworld” links with gangsters and had an “explosive temper”.
One said: “He didn’t turn up to work on Saturday.
“He kept saying he was going home, which is Albania, and he has bought some land there.”
A neighbour added: “I saw him and that man [Paxman] in a car together.
“I assumed they were going to the football together or something.”
Police believe Qazimaj is from war-scarred Kosovo.
He sought asylum after the conflict in the country ended in the late 1990s. This was granted and he was given a British passport.
A 61-year-old Leicester man, thought to be the couple's son-in-law Steve Paxman, was arrested in connection with the murder on June 5.
He was bailed on Monday to return on August 3.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368