Germany seeks extradition of Dutch man accused of hotel murder

German authorities will ask the Netherlands to extradite a 42-year-old man from Almelo who is suspected of killing a disabled man in a hotel near the border.

The body of the 35-year-old victim was found by staff at Hotel Rheinpark in Rees, a town beside the Rhine 30km south of Doetinchem, on Sunday morning after the pair failed to check out.

A postmortem examination confirmed that the victim, who had a physical disability and used a wheelchair, had been strangled.

The two men had checked in the night before after going to see a fireworks show in the area, German media reported.

Only the victim’s details were registered at check-in, leading police to launch an appeal for the suspect, who had fled back across the border in the victim’s car, according to local media. He was arrested later on Tuesday in Almelo.

German police have confirmed they will be seeking the extradition of the 42-year-old man to face trial for murder after issuing a European arrest warrant.

RTV Oost reported that the suspect, identified as L., was known as a hardcore supporter of Almelo football club Heracles. He was known by the nickname Visbom after he allegedly once threw an object at a goalkeeper.