UK police arrested Vincent Brown, also known as Vincent Bajinya, on Monday, charging him with involvement in the 1994 Rwanda genocide. This is the first indictment in the UK for these crimes, and Brown has been remanded in custody.
Brown, 65, is from Kigali and has his residence in London. He was arrested following a seven-year investigation launched at the request of Rwandan authorities. Prosecutor Frank Ferguson stated that Brown is accused of organizing and inciting others to commit murder and genocide.
According to UN data, more than 800,000 people were killed in the spring of 1994, mostly members of the Tutsi minority. The massacres were carried out by Hutu extremists, following the death of President Juvénal Habyarimana in an attack on his plane.
Brown is charged on one count of genocide in April 1994 and six counts of crimes against humanity. He is to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on Tuesday.
Helen Flanagan, head of the Metropolitan Police's counter-terrorism command, said the UK was not a haven for those suspected of international crimes. She added that other individuals were subject to ongoing investigations linked to the Rwanda genocide.
Brown changed his name from Vincent Bajinya to Brown and obtained British citizenship. He had previously been arrested in 2006, and again in 2013 along with four other men. Those arrests were based on a warrant issued by Kigali. In 2015, a court in London refused their extradition, and Rwanda appealed. In July 2017, a judge at the High Court blocked the extradition of the five men, citing the risk that they would not receive a fair trial.
