Police move on Falconio suspect

Lees and Falconio were travelling through Australia

Australian police have issued a warrant for the arrest of a man suspected of killing British tourist Peter Falconio.

In a statement on Thursday, Northern Territory Assistant Commissioner of Crime John Daulby said a warrant had been issued for Bradley John Murdoch.

Mr Murdoch was questioned about Falconio before

Mr Murdoch, 44, is being held in a jail in the neighbouring state of South Australia, where he faces charges of raping a mother and daughter earlier this year.

Following DNA tests, Mr Murdoch was named as the prime suspect in the case of Mr Falconio, who went missing on 14 July 2001 after he and his girlfriend Joanne Lees were ambushed on a remote desert highway in the Northern Territory.

Despite one of the biggest police operations in Australian history, the body of 28-year-old Mr Falconio has never been found.

New information

Earlier this month, Mr Murdoch abandoned his legal battle to prevent Northern Territory police testing his blood.

Neither Mr Murdoch nor his lawyer gave any reason for the decision to drop the appeal.

The attacker is thought to have shot Mr Falconio before tying up Ms Lees in the back of his pick-up vehicle and driving along the Stuart Highway.

Ms Lees told police how she escaped from the van and hid in bushes for six hours before he drove off.