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Alice Gross disappearance: Suspect Arnis Zalkalns has murder conviction | Alice Gross disappearance: Suspect Arnis Zalkalns has murder conviction |
(35 minutes later) | |
Police searching for 14-year-old Alice Gross have revealed they are treating a man with a murder conviction as a suspect in her disappearance. | |
Alice was last seen on 28 August when she was spotted on CCTV by the Grand Union Canal in west London. | |
Latvian builder Arnis Zalkalns, who used the same route to get to work, went missing a week later. | |
The 41-year-old served seven years in prison for murder in Latvia after being convicted in 1998, police said. | |
Det Supt Carl Mehta, from the Scotland Yard's Homicide and Major Crime Command, said Mr Zalkalns may pose a risk to the public. | |
He added that he was not wanted in Latvia, he had served his time and had not been on police records in the UK. | |
Police said he was also arrested in the Ealing area of west London in 2009 for indecently assaulting a 14-year-old girl, but no further action was taken. | |
Mr Zalkalns was seen on CCTV on 28 August cycling along Brentford Lock at 16:00 BST, 15 minutes after Alice walked that route. He was last seen on 3 September. | Mr Zalkalns was seen on CCTV on 28 August cycling along Brentford Lock at 16:00 BST, 15 minutes after Alice walked that route. He was last seen on 3 September. |
Latvian authorities told the Metropolitan Police (Met) about Mr Zalkaln's murder conviction "in the last few days", Scotland Yard said. | |
Det Supt Carl Mehta said: "The conviction was in 1998 and he served a custodial sentence of seven years." | |
Police have received more than 100 calls to their #FindAlice investigation after an appeal on BBC Crimewatch earlier this week. | Police have received more than 100 calls to their #FindAlice investigation after an appeal on BBC Crimewatch earlier this week. |
A reward of up to £20,000 is being offered for anyone who has information that leads police to find the missing girl. | A reward of up to £20,000 is being offered for anyone who has information that leads police to find the missing girl. |
Scotland Yard has released an interactive map of the route Alice took. | |
Detectives believe Mr Zalkalns is likely to have come across Alice as they were both going in the same direction, north along the canal towpath. | |
They appealed for the public's help tracking down his red mountain bike. | |
Mr Zalkalns has been in UK since 2007. He has a partner and young child living in Ealing. | |
He had been working as a labourer on a building site in Isleworth, west London, prior to his disappearance. |