Sint Maarten: Arrest made in connection with OMC Leader's wife Sabine's murder

Sint Maarten: The police officials in Sint Maarten have finally got a ray of hope with the arrest of a person of interest in relation to the July 17 shooting, which left the OMC’s leader, Olivier Arrindell, injured and his wife, Sabine, dead.

According to the information by the Prosecutor’s Office, they have arrested a person and this arrest marks a major step forward in this case which shocked the entire country.

The statement from the office also added that because of the sensitive nature of this case and to preserve the integrity of this investigation, the officials cannot disclose any further information as of now.

Also, the Prosecutor’s Office, as well as the Sint Maarten Police Force, thanked the general public for their cooperation with the authorities in this sensitive matter.

It is to be noted that the Oualichi Movement for Change (OMC) leader and his wife were attacked by an armed assailant while they were in the Cupecoy area.

While the politician is alleging that this was a complete setup driven by politically fuelled intentions, Prime Minister Dr Luc Mercelina said on July 18 that there was no indication that the incident was politically motivated.

He further assured that the authorities are working diligently to investigate the matter, which left a child without his mother and a husband without his wife. The Prime Minister also called the incident a dark spot in the country’s history.

He also said that the investigation’s conclusion would determine the motive for the shooting and the killing.

Meanwhile, Olivier Arrindell is calling out the government to stop making any conclusions about the incident not being related to politics without proper investigations. 

He said that he got a text from someone who asked him to come and get some documents, which he thought were about his opponents, and he drove to the place to get them with his wife and child. Upon reaching the spot, his wife got out to get them, but the suspect drew out a gun and shot her as well as the car while she was about to sit inside.

The OMC leader, who was at that time in the driving seat, drove as fast as he could to reach a safe spot. He claimed that the incident was a set-up to kill him, but his wife became the victim instead.