El Salvador police chief dies in ‘suspicious’ copter crash
The head of El Salvador’s police force is among nine people who died when the military helicopter they were travelling in crashed in the Central American nation on Sunday evening local time.
Police Director-General Mauricio Arriaza was escorting a suspect in a multi-million-dollar fraud scheme to the capital, San Salvador, when the helicopter came down shortly after take-off.
The suspect, fugitive former bank director Manuel Coto, had been accused of involvement in the embezzlement of $35m (£27m) from a credit union in El Salvador.
Salvadorean President Nayib Bukele wrote on X that he did not think the crash should be considered an accident and ordered an investigation.
President Bukele said flags would be flown at half-mast for three days in honour of Mr Arriaza.
The president had named him as chief of police in 2019 and he was key to Mr Bukele’s crackdown on El Salvador’s infamous gangs.
Under Mr Bukele, the country’s shocking homicide rate dropped, but human rights groups say security has come at a cost, with some suspects arbitrarily detained and denied access to fair trials.
President Bukele praised the late police chief as “a fundamental part of bringing peace and security to our people”.
Mr Bukele said he would request international help to examine the causes of the crash.
El Salvador’s Armed Forces said the UH-1H helicopter came down near Pasaquina, some 10km (six miles) from the border with Honduras.
The helicopter was carrying Police Chief Arriaza, Mr Coto and a TV news crew, according to local media.
All those on board died in the crash, the Salvadorean military said.
Mr Arriaza had travelled to the Honduran border to take Mr Coto into custody.
Honduran officials said police had captured the former bank director as he was trying to make his way to the US with the help of a people-smuggler.
News of his arrest caused surprise and confusion as it was not widely known that he had been on the run.
In fact, the Salvadorean authorities had announced back in July that Mr Coto had been detained in Panama.
It is not clear how he came to be in Honduras.
Mr Coto was one of 32 people accused of embezzlement and money-laundering over the disappearance of $35m from the coffers of the COSAVI credit union.
El Salvador’s attorney-general accused the group of syphoning off money from people’s savings and using it to buy luxury flats and cars, among other items.
In total, 15 people have been detained in connection with the case. Among them are Mr Coto’s parents.