French aid workers killed in Rio

Two of the three victims were a couple

Three French aid workers in Brazil have been stabbed to death at the offices of the charity they worked for in Rio.

Police say the three, a couple who headed the charity and a male employee, were killed by the organisation's treasurer, who allegedly hired hit men.

Police say they have arrested the treasurer and that he had confessed to the crime.

They say he had stolen funds from Terr'Ativa, a French-Brazilian NGO helping slum children.

"The motive was not to leave any trace of the siphoning of the money," deputy district police chief Marcus Castro told reporters.

The scene of the crime is monstrous. There is blood all over the place Rio police spokesman

"The man said they went there just to give them a scare, but this theory is ruled out. They went to kill," he added.

Police named the victims as Delphine Douyere, 36, her companion Christian Doupes, 38, and their friend Jerome Faure, 42.

Another police spokesman said: "The scene of the crime is monstrous. There is blood all over the place."

The victims are said to have been tortured. According to police, they were so severely beaten that two of them had their heads almost severed.

Officials said the treasurer was arrested as he left the building near Copacabana beach, with his clothes covered in blood and a safe box hidden in his bag.

They say he confessed to having stolen $38,000 over many months from Terr'Ativa.

He paid his two accomplices $500 each and supplied them with knives and carnival clown masks, police said.

The three suspects are being interrogated.