Fingerprint check via INTERPOL identifies suspect in 1996 murder

2 May 2018

LYON, France – A man wanted in connection with a kidnapping and murder in Hungary more than 20 years ago has been arrested in Slovakia after a fingerprint match via INTERPOL.

A man wanted in connection with a kidnapping and murder in Hungary more than 20 years ago has been arrested in Slovakia after a fingerprint match via INTERPOL.
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Checks by Slovakian immigration revealed the man, who was using a false identity, was a 54-year-old Ukrainian national wanted internationally via an INTERPOL Red Notice.

The INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) in Budapest had requested the alert for Laszlo K in connection with the death of a man in Budapest in August 1996.

In addition to the fingerprint check, NCB Bratislava also sent a photo for comparison against INTERPOL’s facial recognition database.

Despite the differences in the man’s age and image quality, the photo provided by the Slovakian authorities was immediately matched with the suspect’s image dating back to 1996.

“The match via INTERPOL’s fingerprints database and the facial recognition hit, shows the vital role biometrics play in identifying fugitives, no matter how old the crime,” said Tim Morris, INTERPOL’s Executive Director of Police Services.

“The more countries share biometric data, the greater the chance of identifying and arresting criminals, especially when they are using false documents,” added Mr Morris.

Slovakian authorities are now holding the 54-year-old pending his extradition to Hungary.

Countries involved