Suspect arrested in Birmingham Interpol murder kidnap probe

A suspect wanted by detectives investigating the murder and kidnap of a Polish national in 2019 has been arrested in Greece, police said.

Tomasz Samel was taken from his home in Handsworth, Birmingham, by men pretending to be Interpol officers.

The 45-year-old was later found at a property in Bickerstaffe, Lancashire, suffering from burns, and died in hospital three months later.

West Midlands Police said a 44-year-old man had been arrested in Thessaloniki.

Detectives will be liaising with Greek authorities and other agencies as the investigation continues.

A number of people have been arrested as part of the investigation, but no one has yet been charged, the spokesperson added.

Mr Samel, who lived on Raleigh Close, was escorted to a white van at about 08:45 GMT on 27 March 2019, police said.

He later banged on the door of a house, some 80 miles away in Lancashire, at 22:45 the same day.

He had suffered 75% burns and was taken to hospital but died in a specialist burns unit in Liverpool on 21 June.

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