Chinese authorities release man suspected of murdering Norwegian student

A Chinese man suspected of murdering a Norwegian student in Budapest in late August was released from preliminary detention by the Chinese authorities last week, MTI learnt from Norwegian sources in Beijing on Friday.

Chinese authorities told an official in charge of Scandinavian police links that Zhai Fei had to be released after 30 days because there was insufficient evidence against him.

This information has been confirmed by the foreign ministry in Oslo.

Deputy director of the Foreign Ministry Ragnhild Imerslund said there was no link between the release of the Chinese suspect and the recent announcement of the Nobel peace prize recipient that created anti-Norwegian sentiments in China.

Norwegian daily Dagbladet and the NRK television channel reported that Fei was released the day before the award was announced. He must report to the police weekly.

According to unconfirmed Norwegian press reports, Hungary has not yet decided whether to hand over evidence about the murder to Chinese authorities. Some reports claim that this is because if Fei is convicted, he can expect a death sentence.

The Hungarian embassy in Beijing told MTI that no official information had been received about the case.

Fei, 26, was taken into custody after giving himself up in Beijing in September.

The Norwegian woman aged 21 was found with multiple stab wounds in a Budapest student hostel in the early hours of August 28.

According to press reports, she had been intimate with Fei but broke off with him earlier in the summer.

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