A man has been arrested in Gateshead by police investigating genocide and crimes against humanity that took place 30 years ago in Rwanda.

The 69-year-old was questioned over the 1994 genocide in which 800,000 people were killed.

Specialists from the Counter Terrorism Policing War Crimes Team worked with Counter Terrorism Policing North East to make the arrest last Thursday.

Officers said the man has since been released on bail while enquiries continue.

The War Crimes team is a national unit run within the Counter Terrorism Command of the Metropolitan Police.

Commander Dominic Murphy said the investigation follows “allegations of the most serious offences you can imagine” and anyone who perpetrated the atrocity “should face justice wherever they are in the world”.

He added: “Gathering the evidence to support a potential future prosecution is a complex process that requires diligence and precision.

“While an arrest is a significant milestone in any investigation, officers will continue to work to progress this inquiry.”

The investigation is not connected to ongoing war crime inquiries which were launched in 2018, looking at five other UK based individuals.

Between April and June 1994, it is estimated that 800,000 Rwandans were killed in the space of 100 days.

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