Man held over UK tourist murder
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Murdoch is arrested Monday as he leaves Adelaide District Court.
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SYDNEY, Australia -- A 45-year old man is being held by police over the disappearance and alleged murder of British tourist Peter Falconio in the remote Northern Territory of Australia in 2001.
Bradley John Murdoch was arrested by police on Monday immediately after a South Australian jury acquitted him on earlier charges of raping a 12-year-old girl, false imprisonment, indecent assault and common assault.
He is now being held on remand in South Australia until a hearing on Thursday when Northern Territory police will argue for his extradition to face the murder charge.
The extradition case was to have been heard Tuesday morning but has been delayed until Thursday to await the arrival of Northern Territory detectives.
Police will also seek to charge Murdoch with the unlawful detention of Falconio's girlfriend, Joanne Lees.
Investigators suspect Falconio, 28, died soon after he was shot in an ambush 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Alice Springs on July 14, 2001 by an assailant who then attempted to abduct Lees.
Lees, who was then 27, says the gunman grabbed her, tied her up and dumped her in the back of his pickup truck. But she managed to escape and alert police.
The case has captured international attention because of Lee's extraordinary escape and the fact that Falconio's body has never been found despite one of the largest searches in Australian history.
Prosecutors will allege Murdoch hid on a South Australian property, covering the windows of a guest house with black plastic, to escape the search.
Murdoch's lawyer said Tuesday he was looking at the legality of the arrest warrant which was served on his client as he emerged from the Adelaide District Court.
