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Suspect in John George murder arrested in Portugal

Patrick Fee
BBC Spotlight
Family handout A man taking a selfie - he is smiling broadly at the camera, has short, shaved brown hair and is wearing a grey t-shirt. He is sitting on a leather sofa which can be glimpsed behind his shouldersFamily handout
Belfast man John George, whose body was found in Spain 21 days after he disappeared

Jonny Smyth, suspected by Spanish authorities of involvement in the murder of John George, has been arrested by police in Portugal.

Mr Smyth, 26, had been named in international arrest warrants circulated by Interpol having fled Spain following John George's disappearance.

Mr George, from Belfast, went missing in Spain in December.

His body was found by Spanish police on 7 January in a remote lemon grove, having been stabbed and shot in the chest and face.

Facebook John George on the left is wearing sunglasses and a black hoodie while posing with Jonny Smyth in Alicante prior to his disappearance. Mr Smyth has tattoos on his hand and face, and is wearing a pair of black, square framed glasses, a white hooded jumper and a silver watch. There is a pink hue on the image.Facebook
Mr George is pictured with Jonny Smyth (right)

Mr Smyth, originally from Belfast, was arrested in a holiday rental property in the city of Braga and is due to appear in court on Thursday.

The Spanish police have also confirmed the arrest, but it is expected that the extradition process will take time to complete.

Mr Smyth was one of two men recently named as police suspects in the murder by BBC Spotlight.

Previous attempts by the BBC to contact him about his involvement in the murder received no response.

John George's father, Billy George, had travelled Braga in recent days to pass information which he believed pointed to Smyth's location to the city's police force.