U Myint Swe was nabbed in Myawady township, Kayin State, Police Lieutenant Colonel Kan Win said yesterday.

News of the second arrest spread quickly on social media, with initial reports being dismissed as rumours.

But Pol Lt Col Kan Win told The Myanmar Times that U Myint Swe was arrested on January 30. He added that the suspect was being investigated by the Myawady Central Investigations Department and will be transferred soon to the Yangon regional police force.

Police began the search for U Myint Swe after interrogating suspected shooter U Kyi Lin. According to leaked interrogation notes U Myint Swe had approached the shooter in Yangon last year and asked that he kill the National League for Democracy League adviser in exchange for the payment of a car.  

The 53-year-old from Yinmabin township, Sagaing Region was arrested after taxi drivers at the airport pursued him. One of the drivers, U Nay Win, was fatally shot.

According to the police notes, which were missing some pages, the reason the suspect was asked to kill the lawyer was related to a dispute about money.

Enormous crowd gathers to say farewells to beloved NLD lawyer

Police have said they do not know who leaked pages of the report, which were shared among officers and departments via messaging app Viber.

Suspect U Kyi Lin has been arraigned until February 13. He is being detained at the Mingaladon township police station.

Read more: ‘The death of the rule of law’: coming to terms with the loss of U Ko Ni

 

Translation by Zaw Nyunt