Tunis, Tunisia, Feb 23, 2011 / 12:53 pm
Authorities in Tunisia have arrested the alleged murderer of 34-year-old Polish priest Fr. Marek Marius Rybinski, who was found dead on Feb. 18.
Police are holding local maintenance worker Chokri Ben Mustapha Bel-Sadek El-Mestiri in connection with the murder.
The body of Fr. Rybinski – a Polish Salesian missionary – was discovered last Friday in the parking lot of the local Salesian school, which is located in the Tunis suburb of Manouma. Although the Associated Press reported that his throat was slit, the Vatican-based Fides news agency stated that the priest was beheaded.
Bishop Maroun Elias Nimeh Lahham of Tunis told Fides on Feb. 23 that El-Mestiri was “a jack of all trades at the missionary house” and “was given 2,000 dinars (around $1,400 U.S. dollars) three months ago by Fr Rybinski, to buy materials to do maintenance work at the school.”