Two Crewmen to Face Murder Charge

Two crew members from the Greenlandic trawler Polar Nanoq were arrested off Iceland on January 19. 

Icelandic special forces were flown out to the trawler by helicopter to make the arrests. The men have been charged with killing a 20-year-old Icelandic woman, Birna Bjránsdóttir.

They have pleaded not guilty, but police believe they have evidence to warrant their arrest. Her blood was found in a car rented by the two suspects, and the woman’s mobile phone rang shortly before she disappeared from a pier where the trawler was moored. One of her shoes was also found in the area. 

Her body has now found on the beach near Selvogsviti lighthouse, south of Reykjavik. Over 700 volunteers from the Icelandic Search and Rescue Squad participated in the search for her body last week. She had been missing since early Saturday morning, January 14. 

The cause of death is yet to be determined.

A third man was arrested, but released after questioning. A fourth man remains in custody after the police discovered large quantities of drugs onboard the trawler.