Over 10 People Arrested In Juti Martin’s Murder Case

Police Confident They Have Evidence To Charge A Prime Suspect In The Killing

Hargeisa (SL Times): Police authorities in the Republic of Somaliland said they are confident that they have obtained substantial evidence with which to charge one of over 10 people arrested in connection with the murder of Juti Martin, a Swiss national, in Hargeisa, on last Monday.

Juti Martin was gunned down at 6:30pm outside Star Supermarket/restaurant at the airport road in Hargeisa. Eyewitness said three men masked with bed-sheets approached the victim as he was about to embark into his car when one of the assailants pulled a pistol and shot the Swiss national from close range. Martin died instantly as the killer escaped under the darkness.

The 29 years Juti Martin, came to Somaliland about 6 months ago to establish a poultry business in the capital Hargeisa with several local partners. His body accompanied by his wife Barbara Franscica, two children and a Dutch friend was flown from Hargeisa on Wednesday aboard a Somaliland government chartered plane to Addis Ababa where it was transferred to a Lufthansa flight to Switzerland.

Somaliland’s police identified the firearm used in the murder of Juti Martin as a Te Te pistol. According to eyewitnesses 3 shots struck the victim, two in his neck and one in the head. As they fled, one of the assailants fired one more shot over onlookers who tried to go after them.

Among the people arrested by the police for questioning in connection with the case, six are still in custody. One of them is a man who about 2 hours after the murder incident, was found in possession of a Te Te pistol. The caliber of the empty shells retrieved from the scene of the crime matched with the diameter dimensions of the 3 cartridges found in the magazine of the Te Te pistol carried by the suspect under arrest.

"We have every reason to believe that that is the one but we have to wait for the investigation to be completed first before we could bring any charges," a police source told the Somaliland Times.

As the Te Te Magazine can hold a maximum of 7 cartridges, and considering that only 4 shots were heard at the scene of the murder, the police believe that it wasn’t coincidental finding 3 Te Te cartridges in the possession of the suspect.

The police have so far kept silent about the motive behind the murder of Juti Martin. At least one sources told this newspaper however that he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of a conspiracy plot involving more than the 3 assailants seen fleeing the scene of murder in front of Star Supermarket last Monday evening.

In the course of his stay in Somaliland, Martin has changed his business associates on at least 2 occasions, the source said. He had also dealt in Gem Stone trading.

"He could have unknowingly earned himself the enmity of a disgruntled former business associate or somebody of that sort," the source added.

So far there has been no evidence to link the murder case to anything of political nature.

Meanwhile, the news of the killing of Juti Martin came as a shock to almost all Somalilanders. Condemnation of the act has come from all social groups. "A heinous crime against the whole of Somaliland," said a statement by HORMOOD’s Chairman Ahmed Muhumed Madar.

As Somalilanders mourned Juti Martin, a memorial was held on Wednesday at Kheyria Plaza by political and community leaders. A huge crowd gathered there in tribute to the slain Swiss national.

President Rayale also sent condolences to the family of the victim and to the people of Switzerland, expressing deep regret.

While addressing mourners at Kheyria Plaza, the leader of the UCID party, Faysal Ali Warabe stressed that "The perpetrators of this savage crime must be brought to Justice."

Home | Contact us | Links | Archives