Send news tip to FOXNews.com

SUBMIT

Mass Murder Suspect Arrested in Balkans Over Death of New York Woman

Thursday, February 22, 2007

PODGORICA, Montenegro —  A man arrested in Montenegro in the killing and dismemberment of an elderly woman in New York City in 1990 is also suspected in similar slayings of women throughout Europe, police in this tiny Balkan country said Thursday.

Smail Tulja, 67, was arrested in his home in Montenegro's capital, Podgorica, on an international arrest warrant that the authorities received from FBI and Interpol agents, national police spokeswoman Tamara Popovic said.

Tulja is suspected in the murder of Mary Beal of New York City's Bronx borough, where he worked as a taxi driver.

The 61-year-old woman disappeared in September 1990 and her dismembered body was found weeks later in two plastic bags, Popovic said.

The spokeswoman could not confirm when U.S. authorities brought charges against Tulja, but he "apparently fled the United States," she said.

Police in Belgium and Albania investigating the killings of several women in those countries consider Tulja a suspect in the cases, she said.

Tulja was to be arraigned Thursday. An attorney for the man declined to comment.

Tulja, who was born in Montenegro, resettled in his native country in the late 1990s and lived alone on the outskirts of Podgorica.

"Several pieces of evidence and some documents have been seized in his home that may be connected to the alleged crimes committed in the foreign countries," Popovic added.

Fox News Video
ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

PHOTO ESSAYS

VIDEO

Advertise on FOXNews.com ,FOX News Channel , and FOX News Radio Jobs at FOX News Channel. Internships @ FNCU

Terms of use. Privacy Statement. For FOXNews.com comments write to foxnewsonline@foxnews.com; For FOX News Channel comments write to yourcomments@foxnews.com

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. © 2008 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. All market data delayed 20 minutes.