Four men are arrested in Argentina after British millionaire is killed
Four men are arrested by police hunting killers who shot dead British millionaire and wounded his stepson during street robbery in Argentina
- Buenos Aire police have arrested four men, all of them thought to be Argentinian
- They also seized the motorbike believed to have been used by the armed robbers
- Mr Gibbard was killed and his stepson Stefan Zone injured in Saturday’s attack
Four men have been arrested in Argentina after British millionaire Matthew Gibbard was shot dead while trying to fight off armed robbers.
The men were arrested during raids by Buenos Aires police after Mr Gibbard was killed and his stepson Stefan Zone was injured in the shooting on Saturday.
All the detainees are believed to be Argentinian, although police are said to be hunting other suspects of Venezuelan nationality.
Police also seized the motorbike believed to have been used by the armed robbers.
Armed robbery: CCTV footage from Buenos Aires on Saturday shows the attackers are seen struggling with their targets in a street robbery which killed a British millionaire
According to Argentine media, one of the men held is the owner of a red Ford Fiesta filmed opposite the five-star Faena Hotel in Buenos Aires where Saturday’s shooting took place.
The car has also been seized by investigators so it can be analysed by forensic experts.
It has not been made clear how many other suspects police are trying to apprehend.
Police have told local media all the members of the gang suspected of being involved in the crime have been identified.
Stefan Zone (pictured), 28, was shot in the leg in the attack which killed his stepfather
One of the locations where raids took place has been named locally as a town just north of Buenos Aires called Tigre.
The other places have been identified as Temperley, Ciudadela and Exaltacion de la Cruz.
The detainees will be hauled to court later today so they can be questioned by an investigating judge.
Mr Gibbard, who run a multi-million-pound holiday and retirement homes firm, died after being shot in the chest outside his hotel.
His stepson Stefan Zone, 28, was shot in the leg and had to be rushed to hospital for an emergency operation.
Police believe the men, who had jetted to Argentina for a Christmas break with other relatives, had been followed from the airport to their hotel after being ‘marked out’ by a gang targeting wealthy tourists.
The pair refused to hand over their luggage and tried to fight off the robbers outside the Faena Art Hotel.
CCTV footage shows one of the crooks flying off a motorcycle to tackle one of the Britons to the ground, before the other man, believed to be Mr Gibbard, bravely rushes in to kick an assailant.
There is a ferocious struggle for their bags before shots are fired by an attacker with a pistol.
A man, believed to be Mr Zone, is seen writhing in agony clutching his thigh after the first shot is seen.
Aftermath: The two British holidaymakers were shot by armed robbers outside a five-star hotel in Argentina
The man believed to be Mr Gibbard (black t-shirt, blue jeans on the left) can be seen struggling with the attackers before shots are fired outside the Faena Art Hotel on Saturday morning
Mr Gibbard can be seen attempting to grapple with one of the motorbike-riders before he too is shot and then moves off screen.
Argentinian president Alberto Fernandez had described the murder as ‘atrocious’ and urged the police to be ‘inflexible’ in hunting down the culprits.
According to local media a bullet fatally passed through Mr Gibbard’s right armpit and possibly penetrated his lung.
He died of his wounds shortly after the attack, according to police.
Meanwhile, Mr Zone was rushed to hospital and remains in a serious condition after he was shot in the thigh.
The bullet was said to have just missed his femoral artery.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: ‘We are supporting the family of two British men following an incident in Buenos Aires, and are in contact with the local authorities there.’
Mr Gibbard was head of retirement homes company Tingdene which has an annual turnover of £20million.
The company operates 32 holiday parks as well as 52 park home estates aimed at pensioners.
He is also listed as a director for a local vineyard, and a vegetation management company.
He was married to 52-year-old Suzanne and the family home is in Kettering, Northamptonshire.
More than 111,000 British nationals visited Argentina in 2018, according to the Foreign Office, which said most visits are ‘trouble free’.
But tourists are warned to be alert to street crime, including armed robberies, and advised to hand over cash and valuables without resistance.
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