Phnom Penh Municipal Court charged a second soldier Monday with killing senior Funcinpec adviser Om Radsady, marking the end of the search for suspects in the high-profile slaying, officials said.
Ros Sophann, who was arrested by city police Saturday, was charged on Monday with robbing and intentionally killing Om Radsady, who was shot to death in Chamkar Mon district on Feb 18 as he left a restaurant with nine other Funcinpec members.
At the time, authorities characterized the killing as a robbery attempt, but Funcinpec officials say the incident was politically motivated.
Ros Sophann, a member of military commando Unit 911, was suspected of involvement in the Om Radsady killing after authorities interrogated the other suspect arrested in the killing, Ear Naren, police officials, who declined to be identified, said Monday.
Ear Naren, who was charged by the courts Friday, allegedly said Ros Sophann was the driver of the motorcycle used to flee the scene of the killing, Ministry of Interior spokesman General Khieu Sopheak said.
Both men face upward of 20 years in prison if convicted.
“The arrest is considered as the last one for the suspects involved in the Om Radsady killing,” Khieu Sopheak said.
Khieu Sopheak said he hopes that the arrests will help uncover the real motive behind the killing.
“We do not think about a political motive,” he said. “The important part now is that the suspects are arrested and sent to the court.”
Meanwhile, police released Ear Chhoukrath—Ear Naren’s brother—from custody on Friday. Ear Chhoukrath, who was arrested on March 11, originally was suspected by police of being involved in the shooting. But police lacked evidence linking Ear Chhoukrath with the Om Radsady killing, police said.
“He is not involved at all,” said a police official, who declined to be identified. “He is free now.”
