Suspect charged over bodies in suitcases on UK bridge

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LONDON — A suspect has been charged with murder after the bodies of two men, one of whom was from France, were found dumped in suitcases on a well-known UK bridge, police said on Monday.

Police said the two victims had previously been in a relationship but still lived together in west London, adding that the suspect had been staying with them.

Evidence in the investigation so far had not pointed to a homophobic motive but it had been classified as a hate crime.

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Police named the victims as Albert Alfonso, 62, a British citizen originally from France, and Paul Longworth, 71.

Officers launched a manhunt after the suitcases were discovered on Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol in southwest England last week.

More human remains were later found at a flat in London.

Suspect Yostin Andres Mosquera, 34, will appear before magistrates in the capital later on Monday.

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“I know that this awful incident will cause concern not just among residents… but in the wider LGBTQ+ community across London,” said Metropolitan Police deputy assistant commissioner Andy Valentine, adding that officers were not looking for anyone else over the killings.

“My thoughts are first and foremost with Albert and Paul’s loved ones who are coming to terms with this terrible news,” he said.

Clifton Suspension Bridge, designed by the pioneering engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, is one of the oldest surviving suspension bridges in the world.

Opened in 1864, the bridge over the Avon Gorge is one of Bristol’s top tourist attractions and a symbol of the city.