BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Police in Slovakia have arrested suspects in the slayings of an investigative journalist and his fiancee, a case that brought down the Slovak government, officials said Thursday.
Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini said on Facebook that he was happy to receive news “that police arrested the suspects in the murder of two innocent young people.”
Pellegrini said the investigation is “a priority” for his government.
Daniel Lipsic, a lawyer representing the families of Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova, said the arrests were made early Thursday.
Police confirmed that raids were taking place and arrests had been made, but did not mention the Kuciak case.
Kuciak and Kusnirova were shot dead in their home on Feb. 21. Slovak authorities said they believed it was a contract killing linked to Kuciak’s work — he investigated possible widespread government corruption and ties between politicians and Italian mobsters.
The killings triggered a political crisis that resulted in major protests, the dismissal of the national police chief and the government’s collapse.