Myanmar arrests key suspect in Muslim lawyer’s killing

Confessed gunman in assassination said he was hired by Aung Win Zaw, says official state announcement

By Kyaw Ye Lynn

YANGON, Myanmar (AA) – Myanmar police have arrested a key suspect in connection with the assassination of a high-profile Muslim lawyer last Sunday, state-run media announced.

Aung Win Zaw, 46, was apprehended by police on Monday -- just one day after the assassination -- while fleeing to the southeastern Karen state that borders neighboring Thailand, but the arrest was only announced Saturday.

Kyi Lin, a 53-year-old man from Mandalay who was arrested on Sunday for the assassination, confessed that Aung Win Zaw hired him to do the killing, said an announcement from the President’s Office published by state-run newspapers.

In exchange for the assassination, he was promised a car, Kyi Lin said after being arrested.

The victim of the assassination was Ko Ni, a legal advisor to the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD). Also chair of the Myanmar Muslim Lawyers Association, he was an expert on constitutional issues and helped the NLD prepare changes to the 2008 charter that favored the military junta.

Though no motive for the killing has yet emerged, government said the incident appears to be an attempt to destabilize the state.

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