‘Robber who killed Brit millionaire for watch’ arrested trying to flee Argentina as cops say he stalked airport arrivals
THE suspected killer of British millionaire Matthew Gibbard has been arrested in Argentina as he tried to flee the country.
Mr Gibbard, 50, of Kettering, Northamptonshire, was targeted by ruthless gangsters over his expensive watch outside a plush hotel in Buenos Aires on Saturday.
The baby-faced suspect, named locally as Angel Eduardo Lozano Azuaje, 21, was held on a bus in Salta - 1,000 miles north of the murder scene - as he headed for Bolivia.
The Venezuelan, nicknamed Cachete, is alleged to have shot dead Mr Gibbard outside the capital’s £350-a-night Faena Arts Hotel.
Cops were tipped off about the suspect’s location by his girlfriend during an interrogation.
Cachete is believed to have been filmed getting out of one of the support vehicles - a grey Chevrolet Corsa Classic during the botched heist.
He was picked up on CCTV fleeing the scene on the back of a motorbike driven by an accomplice.
The gunman has also been identified by Gibbard’s stepson Stefan Zone, 28, who is recovering in hospital after being shot in the leg.
Cachete is expected to be flown to Buenos Aires today where he will appear before a judge.
The key arrest brings the number of people detained following the killing of Mr Gibbard to five.
He was shot in the chest by armed robbers during a tussle outside the hotel as he arrived with his family from the airport for a Christmas break.
Authorities said on Monday they had identified Mr Gibbard’s suspected killer as they confirmed four men were already in custody.
They included three Argentinians accused of supplying the armed robbers with cars and motorbikes and the Venezuelan owner of a red Ford Fiesta which acted as a support vehicle during Saturday’s assault.
The gang behind the attack have been linked to other crimes including the mugging of another British tourist last Friday in the upmarket Buenos Aires neighbourhood of Palermo.
Police said yesterday the criminals used the same method of targeting wealthy holidaymakers at Ezeiza International Airport wearing expensive watches and following their taxis to the city centre.
Argentinian president Alberto Fernandez has described Mr Gibbard’s murder as “atrocious” and urged the police on Sunday to be “inflexible” in hunting down the culprits.
Diego Santilli, vice-president of the Buenos Aires City Government, said everything was being done to make sure the gangsters “felt the full weight of the law and received the maximum punishment.”
He said: “Loss of life is something that cannot be repaired, it’s irreparable. But if there’s an area where we can work, it’s to make sure there’s justice.
“Justice is something we have to make sure is done.”
Mr Gibbard, who ran a holiday and retirements homes firm called Tingdene, had travelled to Argentina for a Christmas break with his wife and mother as well as his stepson and his family.
He is thought to have arranged the holiday with a UK tour company which then hired a local firm for the airport transfer between Ezeiza a 40-minute drive from the centre of Buenos Aires and their hotel.
He lived with his wife Suzanne, 52, at a manor house in the village of Lowick near Kettering, Northampton.
His firm Tingdene turned over £20m last year, according to Companies House.