The accused murderer of Iranian asylum-seeker Reza Barati on Manus Island has been recaptured after nearly a fortnight on the run following his escape from jail, Papua New Guinean police say.
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Police issued a brief statement on Sunday morning saying that the former Salvation Army worker Joshua Kaluvia was back in custody.
Mr Kaluvia is one of two men accused of the slaying of 23-year-old Mr Barati in early 2014 during a riot at the Manus Island detention centre.
In a major embarrassment for PNG authorities, Mr Kaluvia escaped on March 28 from East Lorengau jail on Manus Island. Adding to concerns, the Manus Island police commander has since expressed anger and frustration that he was not told of the escape for more than a week.
Mr Kaluvia is accused alongside former G4S guard and fellow PNG national Louie Efi of Mr Barati's murder. Mr Barati died from head injuries allegedly caused by wooden clubs and a large rock.
Police have in the past week described Mr Kaluvia as having been found guilty of the murder, though there is no public record of any court convicting him or any resolution of his trial, which appears to be continuing. In fact he was due back in court last week, but his escape meant the judge pushed back his reappearance date to April 18.
The key witness against Mr Kaluvia, Iranian Kurdish asylum-seeker Benham Satah, is still in the Manus Island detention centre and has told Fairfax Media he was in fear of his safety with the suspect on the run.
"In what system can one [alleged] murderer escape and they only notice after several days?" he asked.
Mr Satah said he received death threats from guards at the centre, where friends and family of Mr Kaluvia still work, after giving evidence at the trial.
