Seven charged over Cambodia school murder

Seven men have been formally charged with involvement in the murder of a 2-year-old Canadian boy during last week's takeover …

Seven men have been formally charged with involvement in the murder of a 2-year-old Canadian boy during last week's takeover of an international school near Cambodia's Angkor Wat temple complex.

Four men accused of carrying out the attack on the school in northwestern Cambodia were charged with premeditated murder, kidnapping, illegal detainment of persons for ransom and illegal use of a weapon, prosecutor Bou Bunhang said.

The charges carry penalties ranging from 15 years to life in prison.

Three alleged accomplices - two private security guards, including one who worked at the school, and a man who sold the handgun used to kill the Canadian boy - were charged with conspiracy to commit premeditated murder, illegal detainment and illegal use of a weapon.

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Four men stormed Siem Reap International School last Thursday and held about 30 students and some teachers hostage for more than six hours.

Their alleged leader, Chea Sokhom, used the handgun, their only weapon, to shoot the Canadian boy in the head because he wouldn't stop crying, according to police.

Ou Em, head of the serious crime division in Siem Reap province, said police on Saturday arrested Un Nee, who allegedly sold the handgun to Chea Sokhom for US$150 (€122). He was arrested at Poipet, a market town near the border with Thailand.

The two security guards told police that Chea Sokhom had invited them to join in a plot to hold the school's students for ransom, police said.

"We have not seen any other motives other than that at this stage," Bou Bunhang said after charging the suspects in court Sunday.

Chea Sokhom earlier told interrogators he initially planned the raid as revenge against a South Korean man who had employed him as a driver. He said he had been humiliated when his employer struck him in a fit of anger, so he quit and planned to kill the man's two children, whom he used to drive to the school each day. The two children were unharmed.

During the six-hour hostage ordeal, Chea Sokhom, tense and apparently impatient because his demands weren't being met fast enough by government negotiators, shot the Canadian boy because he was crying too much, police said.

The crisis ended when police cornered the van in which the attackers tried to escape with several child hostages and a reported US$30,000 (euro24,730) given to them by negotiators.

Four men were arrested at the school on Thursday.

Aing Mearadey, an investigating judge, said he has up to six months to investigate the case before the trial starts.

The seven suspects were to be transferred later today from police detention to a prison, where they will remain during the investigation period, he said.