A suspect has been arrested for the killing of a Canadian schoolgirl following a breakthrough in a lengthy investigation into her death.<\/p>\n
Ibrahim Ali, 28, a Canadian permanent resident, faces first degree murder charges for the killing of Marrisa Shen, 13.<\/p>\n
Her body was found in a park in Burnaby, British Columbia in July 2017, shortly after she was reported missing.<\/p>\n
Police said at the time that they believed the crime was a “random” act.<\/p>\n
Authorities say Mr Ali had no criminal record nor prior contact with police before he came to their attention about two weeks ago.<\/p>\n
They did not reveal what evidence led to his arrest over the weekend, saying only it was the “culmination of a number of things”.<\/p>\n
They do not believe Mr Ali and Ms Shen knew each other.<\/p>\n
Mr Ali came to Canada as a Syrian refugee 17 months ago and was living in Burnaby, a community east of the city of Vancouver.<\/p>\n
His arrest marked the end of one of the largest investigations for the British Columbia’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team in its 15-year history.<\/p>\n
The Shen family released a statement on Monday, thanking the public for their support and for submitting hundreds of tips to police.<\/p>\n
“We hope that justice will now be served and that Marrisa can finally be at peace in heaven,” they said.<\/p>\n
Homicide team Superintendent Donna Richardson said she hoped that there would be no backlash due to Mr Ali’s status in Canada.<\/p>\n
“By and large, our refugees that come to the country are hard working citizens that are happy to be in Canada, and I would just hope that we look at this incident for what it is – a one-off situation,” she said.<\/p>\n
Marissa Shen’s body was found in a wooded area in a popular park not far from her home in the early morning hours of 19 July.<\/p>\n
The schoolgirl was last seen leaving a Tim Hortons restaurant and walking in the direction of the park. Her family reported her missing about four hours later.<\/p>\n
Police have released few details about the circumstances of her death.<\/p>\n
The suspect is due to appear in court on 14 September.<\/p>\n
Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"