Two men suspected of an arson attack on the Keetmanshoop Magistrate’s Court about a month ago have been arrested.
Two suspects were arrested in Windhoek this past Saturday, while a third suspect was expected to hand himself over to the Keetmanshoop police by late yesterday.
This follows close cooperation between the //Karas and Khomas police units that deal with serious crime.
It is alleged that at midnight on November 5, the suspects broke the window of the typist’s office at the court and threw a burning cloth inside.
The office was completely gutted in the arson attack
Regional crime investigation coordinator for the //Karas Region, Rudolf Isaak, said one of the suspects had confessed before a magistrate in Keetmanshoop. He had burn marks on his body at the time of his arrest.
Isaak said the third suspect was on his way from Windhoek to Keetmanshoop yesterday to hand himself over to the police. He confirmed that none of the suspects are employees at the magistrate’s court.
The suspects are expected to appear in court today and there is a possibility that more charges may be added.
According to Isaak, police suspect that the alleged arsonists wanted to destroy court dockets.
The typist’s office was attacked a day before one of the suspects was to be sentenced in a N$500 000 diamond theft case.
However, none of the criminal dockets were harmed as they were kept in a safe.
The suspect was subsequently fined N$100 000 or four years imprisonment if he defaults on the payment of the fine.
A further four-year jail term was suspended conditionally for five years.
Office furniture, a fax machine, computers and administrative files were destroyed in the arson attack.
It is alleged that the suspect who was involved in the diamond theft case had hired the others two others to destroy the court docket in his case.
The two accomplices have allegedly not been paid for their part in the arson attack yet.
Isaak said the police found a container smelling of petrol on the scene, as well as a hat belonging to one of the suspects.
There were also signs that one of the suspects had rolled on the ground, indicating that his clothes may have caught fire.
According to Isaak, one of the arrested men had burn marks on his stomach, chest and ears.
Isaak said he was very impressed with the good cooperation the //Karas police have enjoyed with their counterparts in the Khomas Region.
He also pointed to a 100% success rate for the //Karas police in terms of investigating serious crime so far this year.
WINDHOEK FRED GOEIEMAN
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