London - British police have arrested the head of Rwanda's intelligence service on a Spanish warrant relating to alleged crimes during the conflict in the 1990s, officials said Tuesday, sparking outrage from Kigali.
A police spokesman said Karenzi Karake was held on suspicion of war crimes, apparently referring to a 2008 arrest warrant issued by a Spanish court for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and terrorism.
However, a Spanish judicial source said the first three of those charges have been shelved and Karake was wanted for terrorism offences relating to the deaths of nine Spanish people killed in Rwanda.
The Rwandan government condemned as an "outrage" the arrest of the 54-year-old general, a key player in the country's former rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) and President Paul Kagame's spy chief since 2011.
"Western solidarity in demeaning Africans is unacceptable!!" Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo said on Twitter, calling the arrest "lunacy."
Justice Minister Johnston Busingye has "sought explanation" from British authorities over the move, which came after Karake had been on official business in London for a week, according to Rwanda's New Times newspaper.
Karake was arrested on Saturday morning at London's Heathrow Airport and after an initial court hearing, was remanded in custody pending another hearing on Thursday, the Metropolitan Police said.
Busingye had been due in Spain on Tuesday for a meeting with his counterpart Rafael Catala, but Spanish officials said he had cancelled the visit.
AFP
