A man has been charged with two counts of murder following the discovery of human remains at a famous bridge in southwest England.
Yostin Andres Mosquera, a 34-year-old Colombian national, was arrested in Bristol early Saturday and charged on Monday, London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
The remains were found in suitcases at Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol last week, as well as at Mosquera’s address in Shepherd’s Bush, a neighborhood in west London.
The two victims have been named as Albert Alfonso, 62, and Paul Longworth, 71. The two men had previously been in a relationship and still lived together at the London apartment.
Mosquera had also been staying with them in the apartment for a short while, police said.
Longworth was British and Alfonso was originally from France but had obtained British citizenship.
The Metropolitan Police said it is “making thorough enquiries” to find out whether there are any linked offenses in the United Kingdom or internationally, but none has yet been identified.
Andy Valentine, the Met’s deputy assistant commissioner, said that his thoughts are “first and foremost with Albert and Paul’s loved ones who are coming to terms” with the grisly news.
“I know that this awful incident will cause concern not just among residents in Shepherd’s Bush but in the wider LGBTQ+ community across London,” he said.
“I hope it will be of some reassurance that whilst enquiries are still ongoing and the investigation is at a relatively early stage, we are not currently looking for anyone else in connection with the two murders,” Valentine added.
Police said the evidence gathered so far “does not suggest there was a homophobic motive in this case” but, following national guidelines, have provisionally categorized the incident as a hate crime. The Met will continue to review this as more evidence becomes available, it said.