German Consul Uwe Herbert Hahn has been arrested in Brazil on suspicion of killing his husband, Belgian national Walter Henri Maximilien Biot, AFP reports citing local authorities.
According to Brazilian police, Hahn claimed that Biot collapsed and fatally hit his head after being taken ill on Friday night, with the tragic incident occurring at their home in the Rio de Janeiro neighborhood of Ipanema.
However, analysis of the body and the scene led authorities to believe that the victim had been severely beaten, with Police Officer Camila Lourenco quoted on social media as saying that, “The version of events given by the consul, that the victim suffered a fall, is incompatible with the conclusions of the forensics report."
"It [the report] found various bruises, including on the torso, compatible with injuries inflicted by stomping, as well as lesions compatible with an attack with a cylindrical instrument," she elaborated in the comments posted by Rio de Janeiro's 14th police precinct. "The cadaver is screaming out the circumstances of its death."
While authorities did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment, local media suggest that Hahn would not enjoy diplomatic immunity if found guilty due to the nature of the crime.