Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murdering a man whose severed body parts were found scattered across the English countryside, police said today.
The men, aged in their 20s and 30s, were arrested on Tuesday at an address in north London and are being questioned at a police station in Hertfordshire.
"Extensive work has been carried out in relation to this murder investigation and I can confirm today that two people have been arrested on suspicion of murder," said Detective Chief Inspector Michael Hanlon.
The macabre inquiry was launched after a left leg was found in a lay-by in Cottered in Hertfordshire on March 22nd.
A week later, an arm, dismembered at the elbow and wrist, was discovered on a grass verge in Wheathampstead, about a 40-minute drive from Cottered.
Two days later, a farmer unearthed the head on his land in Asfordby, Leicestershire, about 100 miles from Wheathampstead. The man's torso, right arm and upper left arm were then recovered from a suitcase dumped in a ditch in Standon, Hertfordshire.
A right leg found in another lay-by near the A10 Puckeridge bypass in Hertfordshire is also very likely to have come from the same body, police have said.
Detectives say the victim, aged in his mid-40s to early 60s, had died of a stab wound to the back.
"We believe we have identified the victim of the murder and specialist officers are currently working closely with the family. We cannot release any more details of his identity at this stage," Mr Hanlon said.
Reuters